


Punnett Square

by bijoukaiba



Series: CTCM Series [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amputation, Blood, Clothed Sex, Death, Depression, F/M, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Five Nights at Freddy's 3, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Hospitals, House Party, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Married Couple, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Safe Sane and Consensual, Sexual Content, The Bite of '87, Time Skips, phonemy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-26 14:48:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 44,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5008834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bijoukaiba/pseuds/bijoukaiba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots of the 'what-could-have-been's - three alternate endings to "C'est Toi, C'est Moi".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nautilus

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, darlings, and welcome back! Punnett Square is intended to introduce 3 different endings to CTCM. I tried not to make these diverge too far from canon (or at least the 'canon' of the CTCM-verse). That's why - if the pacing of this story feels weird or it feels like details are missing - it's because those events played out exactly (or almost exactly) like they did in CTCM. If you haven't read "C'est Toi, C'est Moi" before reading this, then you probably should do that right now. If you are familiar with the plot, it may help to re-read chapters 9 and 10 in particular. I'll explain why I called this Punnett Square once we get to the third ending. It was actually foreshadowed back in Chapter 5... how about that!

_November 12, 1987_

"I'm alright with that. I should probably also stop by the bank to deposit my check, but I can just use the ATM," Jeremy added, patting his pocket. "Should we take your car, or mine? Or should we each take our own, so we don't regret leaving one of them in the parking lot?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
Phil thought it over, glancing over at the police officers in the distance. Leaving behind a car on the premises might look suspicious.  
  
"... You know, maybe we should each drive our own cars. Just so things don't look suspicious."  
  
Jeremy shrugged but nodded, strolling over to his Escort; Phil, on the other hand, got back into his Sable and followed Jeremy out of the parking lot.  
  
As he drove, he remembered what his father had said to him the night before. Now that he knew he had his father's support - and recalling all the free time they had today... as well as some of those dreams he'd had...  
  
Phil almost failed to notice Jeremy's turn signal, as he turned to stop at the nearby bank. He quickly flicked his turn signal on and followed him, parking adjacent to the Escort in the lot.  
  
As he watched Jeremy walk up to the ATM, Phil took in a deep breath. Now or never, he supposed. He got out of the car and sat on the hood of his Sable as Jeremy returned to his car, tucking his wallet into his pocket.  
  
"Something wrong, Phil?"  
  
"Jeremy, I..." he patted the spot next to him on the hood of his car. "... I wanted to ask you a... a-a bit of a personal question..."  
  
**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**  
  
_November 13, 1987_  
  
He couldn't let the fear overtake him. He couldn't.  
  
An unlicensed car parked deep in the forest, far from civilization, was home now. Four Skedaddles fruit candies and a sip of water was a meal now. Twenty minute periods of sleep every two hours, carefully measured with a battery-powered alarm, was a decent rest now.  
  
John had gotten away with it - or was it, 'he _could_ get away with it'? Surely he had edited the security footage properly? Surely that one loser - Greg Thoreau or something - was the only witness? He had been disposed of, after all.  
  
Surely... surely he hadn't forgotten anything? He licked his parched lips, looking over at the handgun in the front seat.  
  
He _could_ go to the pizzeria, just to make sure - he could eliminate the night guard without a problem. Or were they going to start arming the guards, now that five new murders had taken place in the pizzeria? Not to mention, evidence or not, he could be wasting valuable time distancing himself from the pizzeria.  
  
The further away from the pizzeria John was, the less likely the police would be able to catch him. Challenges were fun, why not see how many more years he could keep this up? And it wasn't like the animatronics were going to come after him, right? That nightmare of Bonnie's empty eyes staring straight at him was just a one-time thing and meant nothing.  
  
... Right?  
  
John grumbled, shifting himself in the driver's seat to properly buckle his seatbelt.  
  
_I've made up my mind,_ he told himself, as he started the car.  
  
**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**  
  
After dozing on and off all night, Phil finally forced himself to stay awake once the time had hit 5:15 am. Jeremy's shift would be done soon... and with his car parked outside the apartment, he could drive over and immediately check on Jeremy by the time his shift had ended.  
  
After watching the end of an episode of Scooby Doo and drinking a soda left for him in the fridge from Pat, Phil hurried out the door to his Mercury Sable, driving to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.  
  
It would be 6 am any minute now... and he couldn't stand to wait another minute to know if Jeremy was okay or not. He arrived slightly early, but waited out the last few minutes in the parking lot with the engine running, keeping the car warm and the time lit up on the radio display.  
  
5:58 am.  
5:59 am.  
6:00 am.  
  
Phil turned the engine off and got out of the car, hurriedly locking it before running up to the entrance. He fumbled through the keys on his keyring until he finally managed to unlock the front door.  
  
"... Jer...?" Phil asked cautiously, poking his head in through the doorway.  
  
He took two steps into the hallway, only to freeze at the sight of Freddy walking straight towards him. Phil backed up against the doors, holding his breath and squeezing his eyes shut, hoping that the glitch in the animatronic systems wasn't going to recognize him as an endoskeleton...  
  
Sure enough, Freddy walked right past him - back to the main area where he performed on stage. It only made sense; the animatronics had always been in the proper spots when he came in to open on certain mornings. He hurried around the corner - stepping out of the way of Bonnie as he strolled back to the main area as well.  
  
"Jeremy!"  
  
"Phil?!" Jeremy exclaimed, having only just stood up.  
  
He hurried to make his way around the desk as Phil jogged down the hallway, meeting each other halfway in an embrace.  
  
"I was so worried," Phil confessed against Jeremy's shoulder, before looking up at him. " _Why?_ Why did you go back?"  
  
"Out of pure habit," Jeremy replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It's dumb, but it's as simple as that. About a split second after I sat down, I realized what I was doing, and then you called. So, hey, perfect timing. There's no additional debts I'm hiding or anything like that, it was a mistake on my part, and I apologize for making you worry so much."  
  
"Apology accepted," Phil said with a smile. "So, you're not hurt or anything?"  
  
"Nope, I made it through the night just fine," Jeremy reassured.  
  
Phil let out another relieved sigh, letting his forehead rest against Jeremy's shoulder as he felt Jeremy adjust his arms around him again.  
  
"So, um... how about you?" Jeremy asked quietly. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Hmm?" Phil looked up at him.  
  
"Uh..." Jeremy's face turned a little red. "It didn't... hurt to run down the hall or drive here, did it? I mean, you know... after yesterday and all..."  
  
" _Oh._ Nah, I'm fine. My legs are a little stiff, but that's probably from the first position we tried out," Phil blushed a little too, as he smiled and continued. "But like I said last n... afternoon, it was really nice."  
  
His smile widened into a grin when he saw the way Jeremy had tried to hide a smile when he corrected himself.  
  
Of course... that wasn't the only thing he had said to Jeremy the day before, Phil recalled, as they pulled out of their embrace.  
  
"You said the uniform was in the manager's office, right? Walk with me?"  
  
"Yeah," Phil replied quietly.  
  
He walked alongside Jeremy back through the hallway, through the game area (where the music box continued to chime merrily), until they stepped into the hallway in the back reserved for employees and the first aid station.  
  
They stopped in front of the door labelled "Manager's Office", as Jeremy tested the various keys on the ring to open the lock.  
  
"Oh, it should be the - "  
  
"Found it!" Jeremy whispered proudly, as the key turned with a satisfying click and the door opened.  
  
He closed the door behind them as he and Phil walked into the office.  
  
"And that must be the uniform," Jeremy observed, noticing the purple shirt wrapped in clear plastic wrap on the desk.  
  
The wrap crinkled and crunched in his grasp as he opened the packaging, until he finally removed the purple shirt, holding it up to compare the size of it to his body.  
  
"Huh. I know it's my size, but I swear this shirt almost seems a little too small," Jeremy commented, setting it aside. "Must be the color."  
  
He shrugged and unbuttoned his brown shirt, slipping out of it. As he placed it on the desk, he caught Phil staring, and he grinned halfway when Phil quickly turned his head to look away.  
  
"... You know, you've seen me naked before, remember?" he asked with a chuckle.  
  
"Very funny," Phil mumbled with a smile, looking at Jeremy out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"I guess it's just that section of buttons over the stomach," Jeremy said with a shrug, pinching some of his belly fat. "You'd think I'd have lost more weight after I had to start rationing my food."  
  
Phil's smile faltered a little.  
  
"But... now that there's some more money in your account, you can eat more, right?"  
  
"Yeah, maybe for a little while. I re-applied for a job at The Bird and Barb, but... Mr. MacLaine hasn't called back. So I might have to look elsewhere."  
  
"You'll find a way, Jer. And if you need anything, you know I can - " Phil encouraged.  
  
"But you're going to be out of a job too," Jeremy pointed out.  
  
"Then I'll get a new one! Maybe at Picnix? But, uh, not on registers or anything... so I don't affect your hours."  
  
"You're too kind," Jeremy complimented with a smile, though his expression turned serious. "But... if you do go back to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza - when it reopens and all - _don't_ take the night shift. The animatronics... I don't know. I can't explain it, but something's not right about them."  
  
"Other than that... I'll do whatever it takes to support you," Phil stated. "Yesterday, we... I..."  
  
His heart raced as he stepped closer to Jeremy, like each footstep placed a leaden weight in his chest, trying to weigh him down.  
  
"It might have been in the heat of the moment, but I meant what I said," Phil stated, now standing only inches away from Jeremy and looking up into his eyes. "I love you, Jeremy."  
  
Jeremy looked like a deer in headlights, reaching into his pocket for something. He appeared to change his mind only a second later, removing his hand from his pocket, and instead wrapped his arms around Phil.  
  
"I love you too," Jeremy replied, gently pulling him a little closer to emphasize it.  
  
"Was there something you wanted to show me?" Phil asked, letting his hand gently stroke up and down Jeremy's back.  
  
"N-no," Jeremy mumbled, his face turning redder. "Well... I wrote a note in case something went wrong during my shift. And I just... I wrote it to let you know how much I loved you."  
  
"That's sweet," Phil complimented, his fingertips delicately tracing circular patterns against Jeremy's lower back. "But I'm glad I got to hear it from you in person."  
  
"I'm glad I got t-to tell you," Jeremy replied, though his voice quivered.  
  
"Jeremy, is something wr - _oh._ "  
  
Phil had started to ask what was bothering him, only to realize there was definitely a bulge in Jeremy's pants that hadn't been there before.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I know this is not the time and it's killing the mood," Jeremy looked around frantically. "Do I go outside? O-or the bathroom...?"  
  
Jeremy clutched his forehead with both hands, squeezing his eyes shut with a low groan.  
  
"Jer, hey..." Phil lowered his voice, rolling the chair from behind his uncle's desk over to Jeremy. "What you need to do is relax. You're hardly eating, you've been under a lot of stress this week... I-I can only imagine how that's affecting how you sleep..."  
  
Jeremy sat down in the leathery chair with a tired groan, tilting his head back. Even if it was just a headache coming on from stress, Phil hated to see him like this. Not to mention the fact that he still had to work in the afternoon... he'd have to wait longer than usual to get some sleep, and Phil didn't know when Jeremy would be going back to Picnix, or if he'd be hearing back from The Bird and Barb...  
  
Couldn't he just let Jeremy feel good this once? Yes, a few hours ago, they had both certainly enjoyed themselves...  
  
Phil scowled.  
  
_Oh, no._ NOT here. No way. It would be highly unprofessional, even if the place was going to close in a day or two. Even if it would be - did he dare to harbor such a thought - sweet revenge against his uncle for all those cruel remarks? Even if the whole "forbidden" concept behind it, not to mention the thought of any action at all, was causing blood to flow to more than just his rosy cheeks?  
  
Fuck it.  
  
"Jeremy," Phil whispered softly, standing in front of the chair.  
  
He tenatively reached out his hand, gently resting it against the side of Jeremy's face. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch with a small smile.  
  
It was a good thing the chair was fairly wide; there was enough room for Phil to rest one of his knees to the side of Jeremy's leg, halfway climbing into his lap. Jeremy looked up at him briefly before wrapping his arms around Phil's waist, holding him steady as he climbed all the way into Jeremy's lap. Phil leaned down and locked lips with him, gently at first, though their kisses became more wanton as Jeremy slowly sat up straight, allowing them to wrap their arms around each other.  
  
Slowly, Phil lowered his hips, gently grinding against Jeremy's crotch. He moaned against Phil's lips, his hands clutching the fabric of his shirt a little tighter. Phil repeated the motion, his hand trailing down the front of Jeremy's body as they both moaned. When he felt Phil's hand on his belt buckle, however, Jeremy pulled out of the kiss to look up at him.  
  
"H-here...?!" Jeremy asked in disbelief.  
  
"As assistant manager, I'm very familiar with the cleaning supplies we have on hand. My uncle will never know - "  
  
"I-I don't doubt we could clean it up without a problem," Jeremy stated. "But our, uh, 'supplies' are back at the apartment. We really shouldn't do this without lube."  
  
"I know," Phil agreed. "We just won't do it that way, then."  
  
Jeremy still appeared confused.  
  
"May I...?" Phil asked, his hand still lingering on Jeremy's belt.  
  
He swallowed and nodded, his face red, as Phil unbuckled the belt and removed it from the loops on his pants. Gently dropping it to the side, he fumbled with the button of Jeremy's pants until it finally came undone. Jeremy let out a sigh of contentment as his pants were unzipped, Phil climbing off of him to slide his pants and underwear down, far enough to free his erection. A little more difficult with only one hand, but he still got the job done.  
  
Now that he was on his knees in front of Jeremy, there was just one thing left to do, he supposed.  
  
Phil reached out his hand and gently wrapped his fingers around Jeremy's erection, his thumb wiping away a drop of pre-cum from the tip. Jeremy shuddered, sucking in a sharp breath as he looked down at Phil.  
  
Phil pumped his hand once or twice - it was more to psych himself up, though the little whimpers from Jeremy indicated he certainly didn't mind Phil taking his time to mentally prepare himself. He took in one final deep breath, before parting his lips and leaning forward...  
  
"H-hey, wait!" Jeremy exclaimed, the palm of his hand gently pressed against Phil's forehead. "Phil, I-I appreciate it, but... we don't have protection either, a-and I'd feel much better about trying this if I had a condom on."  
  
"Oh, yeah... you have a good point. Sorry about that," Phil apologized, sitting back. "I honestly think it'd be okay, you said yourself that you tested negative for any illnesses."  
  
"Thank you for trusting me," Jeremy replied with a smile. "I just think... getting tested one more time - just to be safe - would be a good idea before we try anything without protection."  
  
"I think the university offers free or discounted health screenings to students around this time of year... with the flu and cold being more common, and with students spending more free time together - if you know what I mean - thanks to the break coming up. Maybe we could both get screenings, just to be safe?" Phil suggested.  
  
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jeremy agreed.  
  
"So, um... should we just stop, or...?" Phil asked, his gaze trailing back down to Jeremy's cock, still firm in his hand.  
  
"If you want to stop, that's fine, but..." Jeremy leaned forward in the chair, extending a hand to Phil.  
  
Phil cast an awkward glance down at his other arm, but Jeremy still beckoned for him with his fingers. He reached out his other arm to Jeremy, who firmly grabbed it to pull him up, almost back into his lap.  
  
"... but you're doing such a good job with your hand," Jeremy tried to whisper seductively, his face so close to Phil's that their noses were nearly touching.  
  
Phil couldn't help but grin.  
  
"That's good, it's the only one I've got," he replied with a small chuckle.  
  
Jeremy laughed, before closing the distance between them with a kiss. Phil kissed him back, eliciting soft moans from Jeremy as he resumed moving his hand. He felt Jeremy's hands on his waist, his thumbs gently tracing mindless patterns against the fabric of his shirt, just like the previous afternoon. Loving the way those circular patterns felt, Phil returned the favor, running his thumb in tiny circles down the underside of Jeremy's shaft. He gasped against Phil's lips.  
  
"F-fuck, that feels _so_ good," Jeremy whispered, now that there was space between their mouths.  
  
"Is that why you're always tracing those little patterns with your thumbs?" Phil asked, changing the direction of his thumb's rotation, earning a pleased groan from Jeremy. "Because, yeah, I love how it feels when you do the same to me."  
  
Jeremy tilted his head up to kiss Phil again, his hands trailing up under Phil's shirt to let his fingertips skim against his skin in those little intricate motions. Phil hummed in gratitude, alternating between pumping his hand and letting his thumb tease Jeremy's tip.  
  
Eventually, Jeremy's hands became shaky against Phil's sides, his moans becoming deeper and longer as time passed, until Jeremy pulled out of their kiss with a shaky gasp, his body quivering, as he finally orgasmed. Jeremy sighed, slumping backwards in the chair, as Phil gently kissed his forehead.  
  
"Are you feeling relaxed now?" Phil asked, as he climbed off of Jeremy.  
  
"Yeah," Jeremy murmured, looking up at Phil. "There's not... too much of a mess...?"  
  
Phil laughed awkwardly.  
  
"Nope! You, uh... got it all on me," Phil grinned sheepishly, showing Jeremy his shirt. "Don't worry, it's okay, I'm not upset! I-In fact, uh, if you think about it, it saves us the trouble of cleaning up the room! I can just clean off the extra stuff with a napkin or something and flush it down the toilet."  
  
Sure enough, there was a box of tissues on his uncle's desk. Phil lifted one from the box and wiped off his shirt.  
  
"Go ahead and get dressed, I'll be right back," Phil said, as he walked out of the office.  
  
By the time Phil had disposed of the tissue, he was surprised to find Jeremy - now dressed in the purple day-shift uniform - already waiting outside the restrooms.  
  
"Well, uh, shall we go?" Phil asked. "You're probably ready for some breakfast... or a nice long nap."  
  
"Both sound pretty good," Jeremy agreed, trying to stifle a yawn.  
  
"They do?" Phil asked, removing his keys from his pocket. "Then, why don't you come over to my place for the rest of the morning? I'll make you some breakfast, and you can catch up on your sleep there, too. I'll even make you some coffee when you wake up... it'll also give me a chance to clean up and change clothes."  
  
"Let's hit the road then," Jeremy replied with a smile, as the two of them walked out of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.  
  
**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**  
  
"... I just don't think purple is the right color for me," Jeremy confided to Phil as they stood outside the restaurant. "... you look nice in it, though."  
  
With that, he straightened Phil's red bow tie.  
  
"Thanks, Jer," Phil replied with a bashful smile. "I thought it would be nice if we matched on our last day on the job."  
  
With that, Phil unlocked the door to the pizzeria. They had arrived a little bit early, just to double-check that they hadn't forgotten any potentially... incriminating evidence of their rendezvous.  
  
"I guess all we really gotta do is make sure that nothing's out of place in my uncle's office," Phil remarked. "Then it'll just about be time to clock in, and we can start preparing for the party."  
  
"And we'll make it a good one. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong, and those kids all go home safe," Jeremy assured, taking Phil's hand in his own. "I'll make you proud."  
  
Phil gave Jeremy's hand a little squeeze, beaming up at him.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"Love you too," Jeremy replied.  
  
With that, they exchanged one last little kiss.  
  
And then the door behind them slammed wide open.  
  
"PHILLIP FAZARI!" Frank bellowed.  
  
"Uncle?!" Phil exclaimed, as he and Jeremy both turned in surprise to face him.  
  
Apparently they weren't the only ones who had decided showing up early would be a good idea. Jeremy and Phil both exchanged an awkward glance, looked back down at their hands, then back at each other, before letting go.  
  
"Oh, don't even bother!" Frank roared, pointing behind him. "I saw everything through the door!"  
  
Jeremy's lips curled in as Frank marched up to him.  
  
"I wish you had never shown up to that orientation meeting! YOU ruined everything!" Frank yelled, jabbing a finger into Jeremy's chest. "My nephew was a fine young man until YOU came around! What were you talking about just now, huh? You better not think about laying a finger on those chil - you know what? No! I'm not having this! The children that come here have had their safety compromised in the past, and I'm not letting that happen again!"  
  
Frank stomped his foot down.  
  
"BOTH of you are f-"  
  
He halted in mid-sentence as he noticed Phil take Jeremy's hand again, both of them glaring at him. After all, they had someone on their side who held _far_ more power in the company than Frank did.  
  
Frank growled in defeat.  
  
"Well... I'm still manager, and I still call the shots at this location! And I was NOT happy with the behavior I just saw! You can't act like that in front of the kids, they'll get the wrong message!" Frank huffed. "... You're... suspended for the rest of the day. Come back tomorrow, when you're ready to act like normal human beings."  
  
"Uncle, the pizzeria will be closed tomor - "  
  
"Don't test me, Phillip. Both of you, LEAVE."  
  
Still holding onto his hand, Phil started to leave with Jeremy, refusing to make eye contact with his uncle as they left.  
  
"You're not my nephew anymore," Frank spat, as Phil walked past him.  
  
Phil didn't reply, continuing to stare straight ahead, though he clutched Jeremy's hand a little tighter. Jeremy gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as they both walked out the door.  
  
"Get me out of here," Phil whispered weakly, once the door closed behind them.  
  
"All right," Jeremy agreed, leading Phil over to his car.  
  
The drive in the car was silent, uncomfortably so; Phil kept his eyes on his knees as the car moved, even though he occasionally felt Jeremy's hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him.  
  
It wasn't until Jeremy parked the car and turned the engine off that he finally spoke up.  
  
"I thought this would be a good place to get away from everything," Jeremy commented.  
  
Phil looked up, gazing out the front window, the lake glimmering in front of him.  
  
"Lakeview," Phil mumbled quietly, before undoing his seatbelt.  
  
They both got out of the car, looking out at the lake.  
  
"I'm really glad this park is here," Jeremy commented. "Kind of makes you forget we live in a college town... and feeling like you're far from the city allows you to put your troubles aside and just enjoy some peace for a little while."  
  
He looked over at Phil, who had taken a seat on the hood of the Escort, his arms draped around his knees. Crestfallen, Jeremy took a seat next to him, both of them looking out at the lake.  
  
"Just a few months ago... my uncle invited me over for a nice dinner and we talked about my parents," Phil whispered, his voice threatening to crack. "And now he doesn't even think of us as family anymore."  
  
His lips were drawn tight and his eyes glistened like the waters he stared at blankly. Phil's shoulders trembled slightly... but it probably wasn't the cold November air that was making him quiver.  
  
Jeremy scooted a little closer, wrapping his arm around Phil's shoulders and pulling him closer. He leaned his head against Jeremy's shoulder, sniffling a little.  
  
"There's going to be times where it's not easy. But things get better," Jeremy reassured, rubbing his hand up and down Phil's arm. "Sometimes it doesn't feel that way, but that's just because it's happening at a slower pace than usual sometimes. It'll get better."  
  
"Yeah?" Phil asked with a sigh, but smiled, wrapping his arm around Jeremy's waist.  
  
"Yeah," Jeremy confirmed, briefly looking around to make sure there was no one watching before gently kissing Phil's forehead. "There's people we don't even know that are fighting for our rights right now."  
  
"And Rachel and my parents?" Phil added, lifting his head.  
  
"Mmhmm!" Jeremy squeezed him a little closer. "And our friends."  
  
"And our friends," Phil repeated. "Oh... I think Ronaldo was scheduled to come in today. He would've been so happy to see you again."  
  
"Well... remember what you mentioned about the game yesterday?" Jeremy asked. "I'm not the biggest fan of football, but maybe we could all get together to watch the game tomorrow."  
  
"Oh...! That's a great idea, Jeremy!"  
  
"It was _your_ idea!" Jeremy laughed. "But yeah, let's go for it."  
  
"I don't mind hosting it at my apartment," Phil commented. "And like I said, we'll invite George, Pat, and Fritz to join the five of us."  
  
"And if we all chip in, we can get a sandwich platter or some fried chicken from the deli at Picnix," Jeremy suggested.  
  
"You know what?" Phil said, sitting up straight. "Maybe some kid would've gotten sick at that party, and it would've been a bad time. I mean, I-I don't want anything bad to happen to the kids there... but... I don't know... I kind of have this feeling that maybe missing that party won't be so bad after all."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yeah," Phil took in a deep breath and smiled. "I think everything's going to be okay."  
  
**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**  
  
_November 14, 1987_  
  
"... And the guests are already here!" Phil commented, as he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!"  
  
He opened the door and greeted the first set of guests.  
  
"Ronaldo, Sophia! It's good to see you guys. Uh, Jeremy and Pat are already here... we've got the pre-game on, and food's in the dining room, just help yourselves. Uh... how are you feeling, Ronaldo? You doing okay?"  
  
He let out a sigh.  
  
"A little better. I am still worried about yesterday. With... Mango...?"  
  
"Mangle? Yeah, I heard about it on the news last night," Phil agreed, frowning a little. "I-I mean, I know the guy lived, but... to think his daughter actually _saw_ that happen to him..."  
  
He cast a glance back at Jeremy, sitting on the couch and having a conversation with Pat. What if they _had_ been there? Could they have prevented the attack from happening? On the other hand, it could've been him or Jeremy in the hospital right now, had they been at the pizzeria...  
  
"I did not see what happened, but... they said it was bad. Lots of..." Ronaldo shook his head, as Sophia gently locked arms with him.  
  
"It's okay," she reassured him. "You were told to leave the building, and you did what you were told."  
  
"Oh, you guys talking about yesterday?" asked Heather, walking up with Fritz and George.  
  
"Heather! Guys! Hey, uh, how about everyone comes inside?" Phil offered, holding the door open.  
  
"Sounds good, man, I've had enough of the cold for one winter," George accepted, quick to follow Sophia and Ronaldo inside.  
  
"How _are_ you feeling, George?" Phil asked, closing the door after everyone had come inside.  
  
"I'm just... you know, sort of hanging in there. I'm pretty much the same, but bad at the same time," George replied with a frown. "Like, physically? Yeah, I'm not feeling weak. But... I think about what happened with the investigation, and how Frank just thought I fell in the freezer because I was dumb. Like, I could have done something to prevent what happened, if I had known what was going on... but everyone just thought I was being 'dumb old George'."  
  
"You couldn't have known, George... nobody knew what John was planning," Phil sympathized, glancing into his kitchen, where the picture from Austin was still pinned to the fridge.  
  
"It hurts to think about, but it's nobody's fault," Heather added, clenching her fist. "Hell, I even suggested giving the day position to John because he had been nice to me. He tricked everyone - he's the only one to blame."  
  
"Although, that does not excuse what Frank said to you," Fritz added with a sour tone, as he walked over to the dining room table. "He can be so... defensive! And rude! No offense, Phil."  
  
"None taken," Phil replied, taking a seat on the couch next to Jeremy.  
  
"He fired me! My first night on the job, and he fired me!" Fritz ranted, placing a small turkey sandwich onto his plate.  
  
"What?!" Phil exclaimed. "What did you do?"  
  
"Well, after the accident yesterday, they decided they would need another day to finish closing the place down. Because of this, they needed someone for the night shift, and I guess someone told Heather, because she told me. So I volunteered, because she explained that the animatronics don't act correctly at night, so I decided - 'Hey! I'll just disable their AI, it'll make it easier to get through the night!' And yes, it made the night very simple - aside from winding up that music box, I basically spent the whole night reading the book I recently checked out from the library. But Frank? No, he says I'm tampering with the animatronics, and says that I have bad body odor. I tell him that it was something in the animatronics, like a rat crawled into one and died, but he just got angry and told me I was fired. Even if it was one night, I still felt highly insulted!"  
  
Fritz took in a deep breath, running his hand through his blond hair.  
  
"... Sorry, I lost my temper there."  
  
"No, you have every right to be upset," Phil assured. "I mean, he suspended me and Jeremy from work yesterday, a-and he's my uncle!"  
  
"Dang, what did you even do?" George asked with a low whistle.  
  
"We - uh - Jeremy was on night shift, and as assistant manager, I-I arrived early to check on him. And we, uh, had some fun and played with the skeeball machines, a-and my uncle said it was unprofessional... I just can't believe he would get so angry over something like that, you know?"  
  
Jeremy nodded silently in agreement.  
  
"We might've had some fun times at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza... but I don't think any of us are going to miss Frank," Heather snorted.  
  
Upon hearing this, a little smile started to spread across Sophia's face.  
  
"You're right! Heather... does this mean we're technically having another - "  
  
"... another 'F-You Frank Fiesta'?" Heather completed Sophia's sentence with a grin. "I think we certainly are, Soph!"  
  
They both laughed, along with Ronaldo, Jeremy, and Phil.  
  
"The 'F-You Frank Fiesta'?" George asked.  
  
"Oh, man, it was back in August... and a long story, too," Heather explained, looking over at Jeremy. "Maybe now's not the best time, though... after all, the game's about to start!"  
  
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The second F-You Frank Fiesta turned out to be a big hit - everyone had a good time, and the fact that the local university's football team had won the game only added to the joy. Eventually, goodbyes were exchanged and everyone went home.  
  
Everyone except for Jeremy and Pat; as the first guests to arrive, they were also the last to leave, staying to help Phil tidy up his apartment.  
  
"Okay, I think this is the last of the garbage," Pat commented, holding up a fairly stuffed trash bag. "I'll go run this down to the dumpster."  
  
Jeremy couldn't help but smile as Pat briefly flashed a wink at him before heading out the door.  
  
"So, did you have a good time? I know football's not really your thing, but it was nice to see all our friends again," Phil commented.

"Oh, definitely," Jeremy agreed, though he couldn't help but snicker.  
  
"What?" Phil asked.  
  
"What you said to George earlier..." he was trying not to outright laugh. "You certainly weren't wrong about having fun with balls."  
  
" _Jer!_ " Phil exclaimed, his face red, but he wound up laughing too. "Oh, it's like Penny Sharpe all over again..."  
  
He took a seat on the couch, patting the seat next to him. Jeremy sat down beside him, and they quickly exchanged a soft kiss.  
  
"Let me know when Mr. MacLaine gives you your schedule, okay?" Phil asked. "Now that I've got more openings in the evening, we should definitely get dinner again sometime."  
  
"That'd be fun," Jeremy agreed. "And _you_ better remember to get copies of the notes you missed on Friday, since you skipped class that day."  
  
"I will," Phil chuckled softly.  
  
He leaned against Jeremy's shoulder, both of them silently enjoying the presence of the other for a few moments.  
  
"Hey, Jer?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"... How would you feel about sharing an apartment next year?"  
  
Phil smiled as he felt a small kiss against his temple.  
  
"I'd love it."  
  
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 _September 30, 2022_  
  
"What?!" Phil exclaimed. "He's dead? Escamillo's not supposed to _die_!"  
  
"Papa, shush," Kate scolded from the other side of the living room. "I have to write a paper on this film, and you were the one who suggested we all watch it together while I'm in town for the weekend."  
  
"I thought this was just a filmed version of the opera," Phil defended. "I wasn't expecting _La Tragedie de Carmen_ to be something so... different!"  
  
"Shh, let's just see how it ends," Jeremy insisted, keeping his voice low.  
  
It seemed Don Jose had brought Carmen out into the countryside, possibly back into the mountains, far away from civilization. She knelt down, tracing her fingers through the dirt, before crossing herself as Don Jose knelt beside her.  
  
And then Carmen let out a terrible gasp, collapsing backwards, as the camera panned over to show Don Jose, completely emotionless.  
  
"That's not how it happened..." Phil mumbled angrily.  
  
At last, from overhead, the screen finally faded to black and the credits started to roll.  
  
"So, sweetie, what'd you think?" Jeremy asked.  
  
Kate looked down at the notes she had jotted down.  
  
"Tragedies are usually sad, but I thought the ending to this was... kind of bittersweet," she commented.  
  
"Really?" Phil asked.  
  
"I agree with you, Papa, the film was kind of weird... but the final few minutes were surprisingly potent," Kate analyzed. "With the fortune-telling and what not, it seems like Carmen is being portrayed as non-Christian. But at the end of the movie, she crosses herself. I might have to rewatch the movie to double-check, but I think the only other character who did that... was Escamillo."  
  
"... Oh."  
  
"The film even ended with the camera zooming out overhead, which kind of gave me the feeling of... ascending," Kate concluded. "Like she really was going to Heaven."  
  
"Carmen and Escamillo..." Jeremy mused with a smile, as he took Phil's hand in his own. "I guess you could say they're a match made in Heaven after all."  
  
"Very funny, Dad," Kate teased.  
  
Remote in hand, Jeremy changed the channel, putting on the news.  
  
" - nothing from the fire at Fazbear Fright could be recovered, which most likely means almost every last relic from the former children's restaurant chain known as 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza' has been destroyed. Nearly forty years ago, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza gained a negative reputation whe- "  
Jeremy turned the TV off before the reporter could continue her story.  
  
"Phil...?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowed.  
  
"Papa, did that place... have something to do with your accident?" Kate asked, noticing how Phil's hand now rested against what remained of his right arm - a stump that ended just above the elbow.  
  
"Katelyn," Jeremy scolded.  
  
As a young girl, Kate had always wondered why one of her fathers was missing part of his arm; throughout the years she had seen some very old pictures of her Papa that showed that at one point, he did have a full arm - one that ended at the wrist due to a birth defect, yes, but it was still there. There had finally come a time where Kate was deemed old enough, and Phil had told her he had lost it in an 'accident', but never went into further detail.  
  
"I-I'm just... shocked. To think that almost everything is gone now. I've had memories of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza as far back as my childhood. Some good, some bad... but definitely a LOT of memories," Phil couldn't help but smile wistfully. "That was actually how I first met your Dad, when he applied for a job there during college, you know."  
  
"Your Uncle Mike even had a job there for a little while - just goes to show what a small world we live in," Jeremy commented, looking over at Phil. "Speaking of jobs, didn't George's son work at Fazbear Fright? I hope he wasn't injured in the fire."  
  
"I guess this is all so sudden for you, huh, Papa?" Kate asked in concern. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
"No, no, it's okay. You probably should know more about what happened all those years ago. Not tonight, since it's starting to get kind of late and it's a very long story. But we'll talk more about the good memories and some of the less painful stuff tomorrow," Phil stated. "And as for the bad memories... well... perhaps some things are best left forgotten, at least for now."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... And that marks the end of the first end! But what's that? You want to know more about some of the little snippets that went on during the 35 years in between? While the stories do not play out the same way, THOSE details are being saved for another ending, which will give you a rough approximation of the events.  
>  Hope you're looking forward to the other two endings featured in Punnett Square!


	2. Extinction

_November 13, 1987_

  
" _O-Okay... good night, and good luck. I..._ " Phil hesitated on the other line. " _... I-I'll see you tomorrow._ "

After hearing the line click on the other end, Jeremy briefly checked the vent on the left before going to hang up the phone. A moment of silence could convey so much. After making sure the other vent was clear - as well as the hallway - Jeremy reached into one of the drawers on the desk, removing a sheet of paper.

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He couldn't let the fear overtake him. He couldn't.

An unlicensed car parked deep in the forest, far from civilization, was home now. Four Skedaddles fruit candies and a sip of water was a meal now. Twenty minute periods of sleep every two hours, carefully measured with a battery-powered alarm, was a decent rest now.

John had gotten away with it - or was it, 'he _could_ get away with it'? Surely he had edited the security footage properly? Surely that one loser - Greg Thoreau or something - was the only witness? He had been disposed of, after all.

Surely... surely he hadn't forgotten anything? He licked his parched lips, looking over at the handgun in the front seat.

He _could_ go to the pizzeria, just to make sure - he could eliminate the night guard without a problem. Or were they going to start arming the guards, now that five new murders had taken place in the pizzeria? Not to mention, evidence or not, he could be wasting valuable time distancing himself from the pizzeria.

The further away from the pizzeria John was, the less likely the police would be able to catch him. Challenges were fun, why not see how many more years he could keep this up? And it wasn't like the animatronics were going to come after him, right? That nightmare of Bonnie's empty eyes staring straight at him was just a one-time thing and meant nothing.

... Right?

John grumbled, shifting himself in the driver's seat to properly buckle his seatbelt.

 _I've made up my mind,_ he told himself, as he started the car.

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At last, Bonnie stepped out of the room - and based on the receding banging noise in the air vent on the right, his counterpart was on his way out as well. Finally - 6 am, and finally time to go home. Jeremy clocked out and immediately picked up the phone - only to slap his forehead with a scoff. First he had forgotten about not returning for the shift, and now he was forgetting that the phone in the office couldn't pick up his voice. Of course, calling his apartment so early in the morning could potentially wake up Pat and Phil, if they were asleep at this time, so perhaps it was best to forget about calling them anyway.

Well, at least he hadn't forgotten that Phil had told him about the purple uniforms in the managerial office. He reached into his pocket, smiling as he felt the paper he had written the note on crinkle slightly against his fingers, before he left the office and walked down the hall. As he passed the party rooms, however, Jeremy frowned.

Did... did he just hear the front door open? Jeremy was pretty sure the animatronics weren't that clever... and only management and security should have the keys to the building. Did Frank come here early for some reason?

Jeremy stepped around the corner to take a look at who had stepped inside - he had brown hair like Frank, yes, but he was far too thin. As Jeremy's eyes adjusted to the lighting, he finally recognized the figure as he suddenly turned to face him.

"John?!"

It felt like time had suddenly skipped forward, because Jeremy was now on his back, his ears were ringing, and he didn't really know how he felt; there was pain in his shoulder but he felt numb everywhere else, almost like he was supposed to be in much _greater_ pain and his brain just couldn't process it.

Jeremy struggled to breathe, his breathing too fast or too shallow, as he looked up and realized what had happened as John stood over him, the gun pointed at him, and then his eyes widened as he worried about what would happen to Phil if -

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Nodding off for half an hour wasn't so bad - it helped pass the time, after all.

What didn't help was the fact that it had been about 5:40-ish when Phil had dozed off. And now it was 6:14 am as he hung up the phone, giving up after listening to constant ringing for the past two minutes. Jeremy was probably close to the apartment complex by now - he could drive up any minute, as a matter of fact.

But there was always that lingering ' _what if_ '. What if Jeremy had been shoved into one of the animatronic suits? What if somebody _had_ tried to break into the pizzeria, and Jeremy got caught in the crossfire? What if he had been in a car crash on the drive home? He regretted leaving his car back at the pizzeria. Hopefully the police had left it alone.

Phil sighed, walking over to the porch door. The pentas was still growing nicely, he noticed with a little smile, before looking through the blinds at the violet sky.

 _Jeremy survived the night. He's okay right now,_ Phil promised himself, gazing up at the few remaining stars. He repeated it in his mind each time his eyes hopped from one star to another. These weren't childish wishes out of desperation, he tried to convince himself.

But as the sky's color faded and the stars disappeared, Phil let his forehead rest against the window, trying to blink back the tears, as it finally began to sink in that something had happened to Jeremy.

He wiped his eyes furiously. Maybe something had happened, but it didn't mean Jeremy was... the animatronics were capable of killing, but he could've just been injured and incapable of getting help.

Phil wiped his eyes some more, swallowing down the lump in his throat, as he hurried to the phone in Jeremy's apartment.

"Hello, hello, operator? I-I need some assistance..."

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As the taxi Phil was riding in pulled into the parking lot outside Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, an ambulance pulled out of the lot, its sirens blaring.

"Oh, Jeremy..." Phil whispered softly.

A police car and his uncle's car were both parked outside the restaurant, and it looked like Frank was answering some questions.

"Th-thank you," Phil said to the driver as he parked close by, handing him a twenty dollar bill in a hurry. "Just keep the change."

He shut the door and ran over to his uncle and the officer.

"The ambulance...! What happened...?! Is Jeremy going to..." Phil bent over, his hand and wrist on his knees, as he struggled to speak between panting.

"I'm sorry, I need to speak with your uncle in - "

But Frank waved it off.

"Just give me a minute. My nephew can sometimes be... emotional. And impatient," Frank dismissed, before turning to Phil.

"What did... the paramedics... say?" Phil asked, standing up straight.

"The... uh..." Frank twisted his lips. "I don't know how to tell you this, Phil, but... the ambulance wasn't for Fitzgerald."

"Uncle Frank... you're not saying...!" Phil whispered, shaking his head.

"They found Fitzgerald dead when they got here. He got shot in the shoulder and the forehead. They've already taken him away for an autopsy, but it's probably safe to say that the bullet wounds are what killed him."

" _No!_ " Phil gasped, tears falling down his face as he shook his head. " _No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!_ "

He fell onto his knees, his body quivering with every sob.

"I'm willing to bet John came back, probably trying to destroy evidence. And if that wasn't bad enough, one of the officers got attacked by one of the animatronics. That's what they had to call the ambulance for. I thought Mangle was going to be the new face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but not like... _this_ ," Frank grumbled. "Dead kids, a dead security guard, a serial killer on the loose, and who knows what's going to happen to that officer... this isn't going to look good for busin-"

" _Will you SHUT UP about the business?!_ " Phil screamed, looking up at his uncle. " _I-I don't CARE about the business!! I CARE ab-about what happened to JEREMY!!_ "

"Look, I'm sorry! Your friend's dead, what do you want me to do about it?!" Frank snapped. "Officer, I know it's technically the crime scene, but we should really finish this conversation indoors. It's less cold, not to mention _quieter_."

"... I'm sorry for your loss," the officer consoled, before following Frank into the pizzeria.

Phil didn't move, still weeping in the parking lot, cold and alone.

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_November 25, 1987_

_Dear Phil,_

_Thank you so much for being in my life._

Phil groggily opened his eyes, briefly blinded from the light from his television screen, in his otherwise dark apartment. Rather than staying in bed all day, he found resting on the sofa all day to be a little less dull, since he could watch television. It wasn't like he had the energy to do anything else anyway. Dishes remained unwashed in the sink, a trash bin in the kitchen still needed to be emptied, and he was still wearing the same clothing from four days ago - the last time Phil had found the energy to take a shower. He had gone straight back to his apartment after leaving Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, and he hadn't left since; there was probably an exam or two he had failed due to his absence... but he just couldn't care.

_I wanted you to know that I meant what I said that afternoon._

_I love you, Phil._

It had been nearly two weeks since Jeremy had been killed. The autopsy had determined that the gunshot wound to the head killed him; aside from the bullet wound to the shoulder, he hadn't been harmed at all. In other words, he had made it through the night just fine, and he would probably still be here (and that cop wouldn't have suffered that head injury) had it not been for John.

_I wish a letter was enough to convey how much I love you. I could write a hundred letters and it wouldn't be enough._

Tears welled up in his eyes as Phil reached over to the side table and picked up Jeremy's note once again, re-reading it.

_I thought I should write it down, so you'd have some way of knowing, just in case things don't go so well tonight. But I don't plan on letting that be the case. I want to tell you in-person how much you mean to me._

But he had never gotten that opportunity to say it in-person. Phil berated himself again, remembering his own words on the night before Jeremy died. He had _almost_ said it. He could've told Jeremy he loved him... and he chickened out. Did Jeremy die, wondering if Phil loved him back? That the words exchanged between them that afternoon were just a product of passion in the moment?

_Love always,_

_Jeremy_

Phil held the letter close to his heart, his eyes stinging as teardrops leaked from their corners. Pat, Heather, Sophia, Ronaldo... he still remembered how devastated they had looked upon hearing the news. Even worse, Jeremy's parents had requested for his body to be sent back to them. His funeral had probably already come and gone, and he hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye - none of his friends did. He wanted to believe Rachel would've tried to contact him if she had his number, but at the same time, Phil thought that maybe she blamed the company for what had happened to Jeremy and didn't want anything to do with the Fazari family anymore.

Phil lifted his head at the sound of a knock on the door, folowed by two muffled voices.

_"Hello, hello?"_

_"Phillip, are you in there?"_

His father and mother.

Now he remembered... with Thanksgiving coming up, they probably wanted to get together.

_"Phil, are you okay?"_

_"Federico, just give him a moment to answer the - "_

"Just come in, I think it's unlocked," Phil called out, still lying on the sofa.

The front door swung open, revealing his parents and the concerned looks on their faces. Yoko covered her mouth and nose as she walked inside, Federico behind her.

"Phil, we've been worried sick! What's going on?" Yoko asked.  
  
"I... I don't know," he whispered weakly. "I feel _sick_ , like th-there's this _disease_ inside me, but I don't feel physically ill... it-it's just this sadness that's pulling me down."

Federico rested his palm against Phil's forehead, just to check, but shook his head.

"No fever," he confirmed. "Talk to us, Phil. Is it Jeremy?"

"I can't stop thinking about him," Phil whimpered. "Everyday, he's on my mind. His smile, his laugh, his eyes, the way he'd always say goodbye to me... and I never got to say goodbye to him."

He chuckled bitterly, pulling himself up into a seated position, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"The worst part? The worst part is, i-it's not the grieving that's making me sad. It's stupid, it's so, so, stupid, but it's the fact that I just hate myself because of everything that happened, and I don't know why," Phil choked back a sob, wiping his eyes again. "A-and it circles around, and I feel selfish about the fact that I'm sad about _myself_ , a-and it makes me hate myself more."

Yoko carried a box of tissues out from one of the rooms in Phil's apartment, holding it out to her son. Phil took one of the tissues and tried to dry his eyes again, before blowing his nose.

"I-it doesn't make sense, but I just... I can't stop asking myself 'what if'. What if I had told him I loved him? It just _feels_ like things would have gone differently, e-even if the part of me that's still rational _knows_ it wouldn't have made a difference."

Phil swallowed hard with a sniffle, looking up at the ceiling.

"I called Jeremy, before his shift, like I always had. I was so worried, I almost told him right there that I loved him," he smiled bitterly. "I had the chance to... to tell him how I felt, b-but I was a coward, and n-now he's... gone. A-and I do nothing but cry, s-sometimes for an entire day, b-because I'm weak, a-and..."

Phil was reduced to weeping again, his father leaning in to wrap his arms around him and hug him.

"You're not weak, Phillip. You're going through a very rough period in your life, and sometimes these are things you can't just 'get over'," Federico looked up in the direction of the kitchen, noticing the odor of old food. "It's normal to grieve, and we're here to support you... but I think this has gotten out of hand. I think you need to see a professional. Medicine, therapy... I don't know what it's going to take, but you can't live like this."

Phil finally relaxed in his father's arms, looking up at him with red eyes.

"... Okay," he whispered.

Federico rubbed his back soothingly with a sympathetic smile, before helping him stand up.

"Now then, let's get this place cleaned up, and we'll take you home for Thanksgiving. You can enjoy a nice home-cooked meal and take it easy for a few days... and we'll also see about getting you some help."

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_November 7, 1992_

A breakfast at 9 pm consisting of leftover pizza (and the usual prescription antidepressant) would strike anyone as bizarre, but it had only taken Phil a week to get used to it. After moving around to get a better job, he had finally found himself back at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza - back in the city where all that trouble had initially started.

The past few years had brought some changes as well - Federico handed over ownership to Franco, and a new policy that restricted the free-roaming mode of the animatronics to night only, following an event the company called "The Bite of '87", were among them. Despite how distant they had become over the years, Franco still seemed to recognize Phil as family, as he had told Gilbert - the current manager at the location - to hire Phil as assistant manager.

But as he had told Jeremy all those years ago, being assistant manager meant stepping in to take over for other roles. And that included the night shift for security. The previous guard, Ned, had "called out sick" one day - according to Gilbert - so Phil had to step in. He was lucky enough to have an easy first night, but after spending his free-time reading over the safety policy in the introduction - about the company not being responsible for injuries, missing person reports, extensive cleaning... and the fact that Gilbert now said that "Ned wasn't answering his phone 'for some reason'", Phil began to fear for the worst.

It had taken only a week for Gilbert to hire a new guard, and while Phil didn't know who they were - not being present for the interview - he still took it upon himself to record some phone calls on his last few nights to provide some insight for the job before the new guard stepped in.

Unfortunately, that meant a Saturday - the toughest night of the week - would be Phil's last night. And the animatronics had indeed proven to be difficult to deal with, as he now found himself hiding in the cooler in the kitchen, trying to record one final message for the guard.

"... Um, I-I'm kind of glad that I recorded my messages for you... uh, w-when I did. Uh, hey... maybe you could do me a favor? M-Maybe sometime... you could check inside those suits backstage?"

Phil flinched as the animatronics outside pounded on the door again.

"I-I'm going to try to hold out... until someone checks. M-Maybe it won't be so bad... I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads... back there... y-you know..."

The banging on the door had ceased as it was finally pulled open, leaving Phil face-to-face with Freddy and Chica. As if he was taunting him, Freddy even started playing the Toréador Song. Chica... oh God... what was _wrong_ with her? Some kind of noise, like a strangled breath, came from her.

"Oh no..."

Despite the phone still clenched against his shoulder and ear, Phil turned to run further back into the cooling room, to keep as much distance from the animatronics as possible. But the moment he had pivoted, garbled speech filled his ears. Phil closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to ignore the noise. When he opened them, he saw some kind of apparition in front of him... that original Fredbear suit, like a golden version of Freddy - and it _roared_.

This wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, no, he could even hear it through the receiver of the phone. Somehow, this thing had just _warped_ into the room, and wasn't - it wasn't right - he flinched as it continued to roar, trying to back away from that... that _ghost_ or _something_.

Phil backed away from Golden Freddy, only to let out a yelp when he backed right into Freddy, who wrapped his arms around him, effectively immobilizing him. Phil wriggled around madly, trying to find some weak point in the mechanical grip.

"T-tell my parents I love them...!" Phil added, only to realize - much to his despair - the receiver had already gone dead.

His final message would never go through.

Still, he continued wriggling, struggling, trying to throw his body weight one way or the other, trying to kick Freddy in the legs, anything to slow him down.

But Freddy's mechanical grip remained as firm as a vice, his melody continuing to play as he triumphantly carried Phil through the dining area to the backstage area. As he saw the suit "prepared" for him by Bonnie, he began writhing again.

"Don't do this!" Phil commanded, only for Freddy to shove him into the suit.

Or at least, Freddy _attempted_ to push him in. Phil managed to catch himself on his arm, despite the fact that his sleeve was now shredded and his arm was now covered with several small nicks and scratches thanks to all those animatronic parts. With his other arm, he clutched the side of the suit with his hand, trying to pull himself out.

Freddy fought back, however, pushing him again. Phil let out a grunt of discomfort as he felt the metal pieces prodding against him through his uniform.

"You're not... gonna... kill me!" he insisted through gritted teeth, pushing off with his right arm. The gears and parts had dug deep into his skin, deep enough to draw blood, but it was better for his arm to bleed out than, say, his stomach.

A rough shove between the shoulder blades caught Phil off-guard, and he clutched his hand to his neck as his upper body fell forward - just in time, too, as he felt a sharp gear tearing against his fingers, almost where his jugular would have been, had he not been careful.

A particularly nasty shove dragged his right arm across a gear, slicing a deep cut across it, and Phil let out a cry of pain as the blood leaked out of it.

No, not like this...! He was so close...! But he could feel his energy draining away... he was going to bleed to death at this rate... the faces of his friends and family raced through his mind...

_Jeremy..._

"... Phil..."

He opened his eyes, recognizing those chocolate-brown eyes he loved so dearly.

"Jeremy...?!" he exclaimed, letting a hand rest against the side of his face.

He smiled and nodded quietly, as Phil let out a small laugh of disbelief, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I... I never thought I would see you again..." he whispered, gently pulling Jeremy in for a kiss. "I love you so much. I-I'm sorry I never told you."

"It's okay, Phil, it's okay," Jeremy reassured, gently kissing his forehead. "I love you too."

"Oh, but... I-I guess... this means we'll be together from now on...?" Phil asked, looking up into Jeremy's eyes with a sad smile.

Jeremy smiled back sadly.

"... No, Phil. It's not your time yet."

Phil's eyes widened.

"Wait, I-I'm alive?"

Jeremy nodded.

"You cut it close, but yes, you're still alive."

Phil shook his head in disbelief.

"But... but I'm with you now! Don't you want us to be together?"

"Of course I do... just not right now. I'm fine with waiting, Phil, I promise," Jeremy grinned reassuringly. "... And you know what they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Then keep me waiting as long as you can."

"Jeremy...!" Phil hugged him tightly.  
  
"Go live a full life, and make it the best life possible," Jeremy whispered, squeezing him a little closer.

"I will, I promise," Phil replied, closing his eyes with a smile.

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_November 12, 1992_

When Phil opened his eyes again, he was looking up at the ceiling. He groaned, resting his hand against his forehead, before he heard someone gasp.

"Mr. Fazari, good afternoon. How are you feeling?" the nurse in the room asked. "We'll let your parents know immediately."

"Wait - what happened?"

"The night guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza found you in some kind of animatronic suit, explaining that you had asked for help in some kind of recording. After his shift that night, he found you in the back room and called for help. Place'll probably be shut down any day now. The date is Thursday, November 12, 1992, and you've been out for about five days."

Phil started to push himself up in bed, but stopped when his weight leaned too far to the right.

"My arm...!"

He looked down to the right, shocked to see that his arm was now a stump ending just above the elbow.

"I'm sorry... when we brought you in, a lot of the tissue in your arm was infected or dying... your parents decided for the sake of your health that they couldn't risk the infection spreading. We'll be monitoring your health the next few days, and we'll be putting you through physical therapy and counseling."

"Okay," Phil replied softly, settling back into the hospital bed. "What about my parents? How are they doing?"

"Probably still worried. Your poor father couldn't stop crying. Half out of concern, half out of relief," the nurse shook her head with a smile and continued. "When you went in for surgery, they found a piece of metal embedded in your arm that came dangerously close to cutting a major artery - it could've potentially killed you. You're very lucky to be alive... almost like you got a guardian angel watching out for you."

Phil closed his eyes with a smile.

"... I guess you could say that."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
> 
> Sorry this chapter was short. I have a feeling it was probably the weakest of the three endings.
> 
> If it's any consolation, the final chapter should not only be the longest, but the most SATISFYING.


	3. Rabbits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One year ago.
> 
> One year ago, I first noticed how worried Phone Guy sounded when he called Jeremy Fitzgerald on Night 6.
> 
> One year ago, I started thinking, "lol, what if I shipped them together".
> 
> One year ago, another thought occured to me - "that could make for an interesting one-shot" - thinking about how I could possibly write about Phone Guy falling in love with someone he had never met or properly communicated with. Then I decided to include a little more back-story.
> 
> One year ago, I had seen Game Theory's video about the possibility of Mike Schmidt being the killer, and took it upon myself to investigate if the Toreador song - and Carmen - had some deeper ties to the game's plot; I tried to see if the words "It's Me" held any significance in the opera, and lo and behold I found SOMETHING BIG. Specifically, the finale of the opera, "C'est Toi! C'est Moi!".
> 
> One year ago, I was eating lunch in a break room, and wrote out how a love story between Jeremy and Phone Guy would end - with a little exchange of "It's you" and "It's me" - on a paper bag used to hold sub sandwiches.
> 
> And from that point on, I went on to create OCs (Sophia, Ronaldo, Heather, Federico, and Franco were the first), and then began to make a story. And on December 22, 2014, things were never the same again.
> 
> (Eight months ago... eight months ago, I wrote the monologue above, expecting this final part of the story to be out in time for December and the one year anniversary of CTCM's publishing date. Boy, did I underestimate how much I was going to put into this finale, as well as the amount of writer's block and other obstacles I would encounter. For those of you who have been patiently awaiting this... I hope I will have made your wait worth it.)

 

 

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

_November 12, 1987_

"I'm alright with that. I should probably also stop by the bank to deposit my check, but I can just use the ATM," Jeremy added, patting his pocket. "Should we take your car, or mine? Or should we each take our own, so we don't regret leaving one of them in the parking lot?"

"Uh..."

Phil thought it over, glancing over at the police officers in the distance. Leaving behind a car on the premises might look suspicious.

"... You know, maybe we should each drive our own cars. Just so things don't look suspicious."

Jeremy shrugged but nodded, strolling over to his Escort; Phil, on the other hand, got back into his Sable and followed Jeremy out of the parking lot.

As he drove, he remembered what his father had said to him the night before. Now that he knew he had his father's support - and recalling all the free time they had today... as well as some of those dreams he'd had...

Phil almost failed to notice Jeremy's turn signal, as he turned to stop at the nearby bank. He quickly flicked his turn signal on and followed him, parking adjacent to the Escort in the lot.

As he watched Jeremy walk up to the ATM, Phil took in a deep breath. Now or never, he supposed. He got out of the car and sat on the hood of his Sable as Jeremy returned to his car, tucking his wallet into his pocket.

"Something wrong, Phil?"

"Jeremy, I..." he patted the spot next to him on the hood of his car. "... I wanted to ask you a... a-a bit of a personal question..."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

_November 13, 1987_

He couldn't let the fear overtake him. He couldn't.

An unlicensed car parked deep in the forest, far from civilization, was home now. Four Skedaddles fruit candies and a sip of water was a meal now. Twenty minute periods of sleep every two hours, carefully measured with a battery-powered alarm, was a decent rest now.

John had gotten away with it - or was it, 'he _could_ get away with it'? Surely he had edited the security footage properly? Surely that one loser - Greg Thoreau or something - was the only witness? He had been disposed of, after all.

Surely... surely he hadn't forgotten anything? He licked his parched lips, looking over at the handgun in the front seat.

He _could_ go to the pizzeria, just to make sure - he could eliminate the night guard without a problem. Or were they going to start arming the guards, now that five new murders had taken place in the pizzeria? Not to mention, evidence or not, he could be wasting valuable time distancing himself from the pizzeria.

The further away from the pizzeria John was, the less likely the police would be able to catch him. Challenges were fun, why not see how many more years he could keep this up? And it wasn't like the animatronics were going to come after him, right? That nightmare of Bonnie's empty eyes staring straight at him was just a one-time thing and meant nothing.

... Right?

John grumbled, shifting himself in the driver's seat to properly buckle his seatbelt.

_I've made up my mind,_ he told himself, as he started the car.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

After dozing on and off all night, Phil finally forced himself to stay awake once the time had hit 5:15 am. Jeremy's shift would be done soon... and with his car parked outside the apartment, he could drive over and immediately check on Jeremy by the time his shift had ended.

After watching the end of an episode of Scooby Doo and drinking a soda left for him in the fridge from Pat, Phil hurried out the door to his Mercury Sable, driving to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

It would be 6 am any minute now... and he couldn't stand to wait another minute to know if Jeremy was okay or not. He arrived slightly early, but waited out the last few minutes in the parking lot with the engine running, keeping the car warm and the time lit up on the radio display.

5:58 am.

5:59 am.

6:00 am.

Phil turned the engine off and got out of the car, hurriedly locking it before running up to the entrance. He fumbled through the keys on his keyring until he finally managed to unlock the front door.

"... Jer...?" Phil asked cautiously, poking his head in through the doorway.

He took two steps into the hallway, only to freeze at the sight of Freddy walking straight towards him. Phil backed up against the doors, holding his breath and squeezing his eyes shut, hoping that the glitch in the animatronic systems wasn't going to recognize him as an endoskeleton...

Sure enough, Freddy walked right past him - back to the main area where he performed on stage. It only made sense; the animatronics had always been in the proper spots when he came in to open on certain mornings. He hurried around the corner - stepping out of the way of Bonnie as he strolled back to the main area as well.

"Jeremy!"

"Phil?!" Jeremy exclaimed, having only just stood up.

He hurried to make his way around the desk as Phil jogged down the hallway, meeting each other halfway in an embrace.

"I was so worried," Phil confessed against Jeremy's shoulder, before looking up at him. " _Why_? Why did you go back?"

"Out of pure habit," Jeremy replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It's dumb, but it's as simple as that. About a split second after I sat down, I realized what I was doing, and then you called. So, hey, perfect timing. There's no additional debts I'm hiding or anything like that, it was a mistake on my part, and I apologize for making you worry so much."

"Apology accepted," Phil said with a smile. "So, you're not hurt or anything?"

"Nope, I made it through the night just fine," Jeremy reassured.

Phil let out another relieved sigh, letting his forehead rest against Jeremy's shoulder as he felt Jeremy adjust his arms around him again.

"So, um... how about you?" Jeremy asked quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm?" Phil looked up at him.

"Uh..." Jeremy's face turned a little red. "It didn't... hurt to run down the hall or drive here, did it? I mean, you know... after yesterday and all..."

" _Oh._ Nah, I'm fine. My legs are a little stiff, but that's probably from the first position we tried out," Phil blushed a little too, as he smiled and continued. "But like I said last n... afternoon, it was really nice."

His smile widened into a grin when he saw the way Jeremy had tried to hide a smile when he corrected himself.

Of course... that wasn't the only thing he had said to Jeremy the day before, Phil recalled, as they pulled out of their embrace.

"You said the uniform was in the manager's office, right? Walk with me?"

"Yeah," Phil replied quietly.

He walked alongside Jeremy in the hallway, about to head into the Game Room, when they both stopped suddenly, exchanging a look.

"Did you hear that?" Phil asked.

"I did," Jeremy confirmed. "It sounded like the front..."

They both turned to look over their shoulders, only to see John Burgess standing in the hallway. His hands were at his sides, but he held a gun in one of them.

"John?!" Phil asked.

"Phil?!" John asked, just as surprised. "And you, you're that guy from Picnix, Jimmy."

" _Jeremy,_ " Jeremy muttered.

" _You're_ not supposed to be here... I was hoping that maybe that Sable out front belonged to someone else," John stated, focusing his attention on Phil. " _God damn it_."

"John..." Phil's voice softened, a distraught expression on his face as he turned around to properly face John. "... did you really kill those children?"

"Yes," John answered without hesitation.

"Why?" Phil pleaded. "You... you never seemed like the type of guy who'd - "

"Who'd go that far?" John shrugged. "Sometimes a guy gets pissed off and things get out of hand."

"And why tell us all this, exactly?" Jeremy interrogated, his brows furrowed.

"Well, it's not like you're going to be alive to tell anyone," John pointed out.

Phil stepped in front of Jeremy, shooting a glare at John. His eyes shifted from the determined look on Phil's face, to the concerned one on Jeremy's.

"Ohh... I see," John remarked, nodding knowingly. "That's why you're not in uniform and why you'd show up so early... that explains it. Marty was the same way."

"And _I_ know you're a... well, you're _not_ an _entirely_ bad person, John," Phil commented. "That's why I'm still talking."

John chuckled with a twisted smirk.

"... You got me there. If it was just your boyfriend here, he'd be lying on the ground looking like Swiss cheese and I'd already be halfway out of town. But _you_ , Phil? You're making this hard. You were always polite, always nice to me... I _did_ actually like you, you know?"

"I like you, too! We-we're friends, right?" Phil asked, holding his hand up, his eyes darting from John's gaze to the gun still in his hand. "And, uh, friends do each other favors, remember? Y-you said so yourself. So... please, John, _don't do this._ "

John laughed pitifully.

"I guess we're not friends anymore, then."

He slid the barrel of the handgun back.

"Sorry, Phil. It's not you..." he raised the gun, pointing it straight at Phil. "It's me."

The gunshot still echoed in Phil's ears as he fell to the side, staggering to stay on his feet, as he slowly realized Jeremy's hand had been on his shoulder and now he was toppling backwards.

" _Jeremy!_ " Phil screamed, barely managing to catch him, keeping him from hitting the floor. " _JEREMY!_ "

John gritted his teeth, fire practically burning in his eyes, as he loaded the gun once again. Phil held Jeremy close, desperately trying to apply pressure to his arm as blood began to soak his sleeve.

And then the door at the opposite end of the hall was flung open, and Foxy burst out of the Parts and Service room with a mechanical roar - it seemed someone else hadn't taken too kindly to the sound of gunshots in the restaurant.

" _Damn you!_ " John cursed, turning his attention to the animatronic charging at him.

He fired the gun at Foxy, but his trembling hands caused his aim to falter - was he still shaking from the recoil of his previous shot, or was it the sight of the same monstrosity that had attacked him only a few weeks prior?

John roared in frustration, loading and firing again. The bullet hit Foxy square in the jaw, causing it to unhinge and flap as he ran, but he kept on running.

" _While... they're... distracted..._ " Jeremy whispered roughly against Phil's shoulder.

He was in too much shock to say anything in reply, silently looping Jeremy's good arm over his shoulder to help him to his feet.

Phil looked up at the sound of metal crashing against the floor, horrified to see Foxy had finally collapsed after taking one bullet too many. John turned around to glare at him, aiming at Phil's head, and pulled the trigger.

_Click. Click._

John growled in frustration, glancing from Phil and Jeremy, back to Foxy on the floor. The animatronic stirred, a weak metallic screech coming from Foxy, as he tried to pull himself forward on the floor.

John cursed under his breath once again and darted out the door.

"You always were my favorite," Phil commented, looking down at Foxy. "Thank you."

Foxy hissed in reply, trying to crawl forward, and it occurred to Phil that Foxy might not hold him in the same regard. A pained groan from Jeremy fueled his urgency to get out of there.

Doing his best to support Jeremy, Phil walked him back through the Game Area, all the way to the employees-only section, where the first aid office was. He helped Jeremy lay down on the cot before hurrying back across the room to the phone.

"Hello, hello? W-we need your help! There's- th-there's been a shooting! Jeremy - m-my friend - he's hurt, he got shot. We're in the first aid center, in the employees-only section, at the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, over at..."

"... Help..."

Phil had just finished stammering out the address of the location when he had heard Jeremy's weak plea.

"Y-yes, send the police too - one moment, I-I'll be right back - No, I won't hang up! - I just... he _needs_ me. I-I'll be back shortly."

He lowered the phone to the floor, before sprinting across the room to Jeremy's side. He had just started to sit up on the cot, only for Phil to gently lower him back onto it. He squeezed his eyes shut with a groan as his upper arm rested against the cot.

"D-Don't move, okay? Just tell me what you need. I'll get it," Phil reassured, giving Jeremy a quick kiss on the forehead for comfort.

"Bandages," Jeremy stated.

"Um, I-I'm still here!" Phil yelled, hoping to get the attention of the person on the line, as he reached into one of the cabinets. "Bandages... bandages..."

He plucked the supplies he needed from the cabinets and tucked them under his arm, before hurrying back to Jeremy. Setting the items on a side table, Phil immediately got to work at unbuttoning Jeremy's shirt - his nimble dexterity in the excitement of yesterday had been replaced with the shaky anxiety that Jeremy's life could be in his hands.

"I-I'm so sorry, Jer..." Phil apologized, as he managed to slip another button out of its hole. "If I had said something different... o-or if I hadn't said a-anything at all..."

"You did fine," Jeremy reassured, flinching as he tried to slip his arm out of the long sleeve.

While it was challenging with only one hand, Phil did his best to help Jeremy sit up, in order to delicately slip that half of his security uniform off. Phil couldn't tell if he was more concerned about the way Jeremy's face paled upon sitting up, or the fact that the wound in his arm continued to bleed.

"I'm gonna... lie down... feeling a little woozy..." Jeremy explained, as Phil helped him recline against the cot.

"Oh, Jer..."

"I guess... the lack of food finally caught up...?" Jeremy asked, managing a weak smile.

He blinked slowly, as if his eyelids were heavy.

"Jeremy... J-Jeremy, stay with me, okay?" Phil asked.

He placed a piece of gauze in Jeremy's hand, guiding it to press against the wound in his arm. Phil then clutched the roll of bandages in his hand, hesitating as he tried to figure out how he could wrap up Jeremy's arm.

"At least it's just my arm... he almost shot you," Jeremy commented, as Phil tucked one end of the bandage under the hand Jeremy was using to hold the gauze in place.

"D-Don't talk like that. Hold onto the bandage firmly, s-so I can wrap this up, okay?"

He went to lift Jeremy's arm, to roll the bandages underneath, but Jeremy's hold on the bandages had weakened, and they slipped away as Phil had started to bring his arm up on the other side.

"Jer? P-please, just hold on... just hold on, o-o-okay?" Phil asked, trying to blink back tears. "I-I just need to bandage your arm... a-and once that's done, the ambulance will be here, a-and we can get you to the hospital, a-and you'll never have to risk your life f-for some dumb job, or me, e-ever again, okay?"

"Who wouldn't risk their life for someone they love...?" Jeremy asked with a smile, closing his eyes.

"Jeremy?" Phil gently rested his fingers against neck.

Still alive, but he was definitely weak.

He tried to finish bandaging the wound on his own, but it didn't hold very well, meaning that there probably wasn't enough pressure to stop the bleeding. As Phil cleaned off the traces of blood from his hand and arms, a dark thought occurred to him - the EMTs still hadn't shown up.

Hurriedly wiping his hand on his sleeve, he dashed back over to the phone.

"Hello?" Phil let out a sigh. "Sorry, I-I just wanted to try to stop the bleeding... he's still alive, but he's weak... wait, WHAT happened to - "

Phil was interrupted by the faint sound of gunshots from elsewhere in the pizzeria, and he tried not to scream.

Everything was silent for another few moments, until he heard the footsteps of people hurrying in though the door to the employees-only section. Sure enough, a few moments later, two EMTs came in, wheeling a cart with them.

"He-he's on the cot... he was shot in the a-arm... Jeremy Fitzgerald. W-what happened out there?"

"The previous unit got here pretty quickly, but... one of the guys was attacked by one of those robots and we had to run him back to the hospital. The patient comes first, but... we have to be smart about things, and sometimes we need the scene cleared before we can take action," One of the EMTs explained, as he brought out some bandages.

They cleaned Jeremy's wound and they were much quicker in wrapping it up, and they did a much better job with making sure the bandages could apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding. They checked Jeremy's pulse one more time before transferring him onto the stretcher.

Phil followed them quickly as they steered the cart through the halls, though he was far more conscious of the tiny drops of blood - were those Jeremy's or the other person's? How much blood _had_ been lost? - that rested on the checkerboard tiles.

As they stepped through the front door, where the ambulance was waiting nearby, one of the EMTs turned to look at Phil.

"You've done a good job taking care of him. We can take it from here," he stated, as the doors to the ambulance opened.

"I-I can't go with him? But he's - I - " Phil was trying so hard not to break down.

"I understand you're worried about your friend, but our company policy states that if the victim is unconscious, only family is allowed to ride in the ambulance, and one member at that," the EMT explained. "I'm sorry. This must be really hard for you. But since you said he was shot, and the police were here to give us back-up, the best thing you can do is talk to them and provide as much information as possible. We'll do everything we can for him."

He watched silently as they finished loading Jeremy into the ambulance before finally driving off. Phil took a few minutes to compose himself, before heading back inside the pizzeria. If helping the police catch John was the only thing he could do for Jeremy right now, he would do his best to help them however he could.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

_November 14, 1987_

Phil sighed as he poured himself a hot cup of coffee. He hadn't slept well last night, even after calling his parents, due to his worries about Jeremy. He had tried to contact the hospital an hour or two after Jeremy had left, only to learn that the Fitzgerald family had been contacted prior to that... and that they had requested his information and visitation be limited to his family.

They had probably figured out that Jeremy was in a relationship. Rachel probably hadn't told them - Phil trusted her - but maybe she or Jeremy had been dodging certain questions, and that had led them to that conclusion.

With the recent reappearance of John Burgess, as well as the EMT who had been attacked by an animatronic, the police ordered that the pizzeria be closed for the rest of the day, much to the dismay of Franco and the woman who had a reservation for a party.

Jeremy... was okay, right? Even if there was a restriction on communication, surely they would've let his friends know if something serious had happened?

He was startled from his thoughts when the phone rang - probably his father checking on him after the previous night, he realized with a sad smile, as he went to pick up the phone.

"Hello, hello?"

... The receiver fell from his grasp and crashed against the floor only a few moments later.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Only a few moments after pulling into the parking lot did Phil realize that maybe he was rushing into this too quickly. After all, he had been considering making a bee-line straight to the gift shop to buy flowers, only to remember that he might be judged for making such a purchase. So, instead, he walked - albeit hurriedly - up to the receptionist.

"I-I believe Jeremy Fitzgerald is, uh, taking visitors?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe just this morning he started allowing visitors. Your name, please?"

"Phillip Fazari."

"Yes, you were among the people listed that he especially wanted to see," the receptionist chuckled. "You'll want to head to room 258, sir."

Phil timidly nodded, making his way to the elevator. He could practically his nerves rising as the elevator lifted him up to the second floor. He perused the numbers along the walls... 242, 244, 246... until at last he finally reached Jeremy's room near the end of the hall, the door already open.

"... Jeremy?" Phil asked softly, knocking on the door just to make sure he wasn't disturbing him.

"Hello, hello," Jeremy greeted softly with a smile from his bed, now dressed in one of the standard hospital gowns. "Come on in, and close the door behind you."

Phil closed the door behind him, already starting to cry as he walked over to Jeremy's bedside.

"It's okay, Phil, come here," Jeremy invited gently, extending a hand to him.

He pulled Phil into an embrace, letting him cry against his shoulder.

"I love you," Phil confessed. "I-I was so worried... I w-wasn't sure... i-if..."

"Shhh. It's okay now. I love you too," Jeremy replied, gently rubbing circles against his back.

He held Phil there until he finally calmed down, before Phil finally pulled up a chair to sit at Jeremy's bedside.

"How are you feeling?" Phil asked.

"A lot more awake, angry at my parents, and my arm is kind of sore," Jeremy replied, glancing down at it. "... The doctors said that while the bullet wasn't lodged in my skin, it tore out a decent chunk of skin and muscle. So... it's sore and I can't really move it that well, but it should recover eventually."

"Well, that's... uh, good! ... It's good, right?"

"Muscle cells are actually some of the best at repairing themselves, and the skin will heal like most cuts - with a scab, probably leaving a scar behind... but yeah, my arm will be back to normal within a few months. Thank you, Phil."

"... 'Thank you'?" he repeated, pointing at himself.

"Well... you conveniently had your car with you, and you drove in to check on me. Remember what John said? He would have killed me if you hadn't been there."

"Oh, I don't know, I think that's being a little overdramatic," Phil mumbled, blushing.

"Truly, Phil, I am overjoyed, that you would be the one to save my life!" Jeremy insisted, resting his hand against his forehead with a dramatic flourish.

"You're such a weirdo," Phil chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm _your_ weirdo," Jeremy retorted, chuckling as well.

They exchanged a quick kiss, only for Jeremy's smile to falter.

"... During one of the phone calls with my parents, they asked if I had met any nice girls to 'change my mind'. And... I hesitated, and told them 'yes'. But I think they saw right through my lie. My head didn't start clearing up until yesterday evening, and by the time I realized what they had done... visitation hours were over. That's why I had to wait until this morning to call you," Jeremy huffed. "As much as I love Rachel, I really don't want to go home for Thanksgiving this year..."

As Phil opened his mouth to comment further, he was startled by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Jeremy invited.

The door opened wide and four very excited people hurried into the room.

"Jeremy!" Pat, Sophia, Heather, and Ronaldo exclaimed at the same time.

"... And Phil!" Sophia added with a little wink.

"... Hello to you guys, too," Phil said, trying to bite back a smile.

"How are you doing?" Ronaldo asked.

"I'm okay, thanks," Jeremy replied.

"Mr. Lane, or something, called yesterday about a job? I told him about your emergency, and he said he was willing to wait for you to call him back once you've recovered. I'll take care of the - uh, flowers - and apartment until then," Pat volunteered. "How long are you expected to be in here, anyway?"

"Assuming everything goes okay... probably until this afternoon," Jeremy said with a laugh. "Although... my arm isn't going to be feeling one hundred percent for the next few weeks, so... I might need a little help around the apartment. I'll still try to do my fair share, though I'm not exactly a leftie."

"I could give you a few pointers on that," Phil teased.

Everyone in the room laughed, before converging by the hospital bed to exchange a group hug - Heather taking care not to touch the bandaging on Jeremy's arm.

As the six of them finally let go, Jeremy spoke up.

"You know..." Jeremy looked down at the bandage on his arm, then over at Phil. "Despite what happened... I think everything's going to be okay."

Everyone stayed and chatted softly for a while, even watching part of the football game on TV - to the delight of everyone in the room, though mostly the sports fans, the local university came out on top. Jeremy's check-up in the afternoon went well, and he was indeed discharged from the hospital. Phil was more than willing to drive Jeremy home, and Pat obliged.

After Jeremy had been dropped off (they had even been so fortunate as to find the parking area devoid of people, allowing them a chance for a quick goodbye kiss), Phil went back home. Yes, he needed to study, but... he really wanted to call his parents one more time, now that Jeremy was safe at his own apartment.

" _Hello, hello?_ "

"Hello, hello, Mom," Phil replied. "I didn't call at a bad time, did I?"

" _No, Phillip, you're fine!"_

_"Phillip called?"_ Phil smiled, as he heard his father in the background.

" _I remember you were upset about yesterday... is everything okay?_ " Yoko asked, concerned.

"Jeremy had a wounded shoulder... but that was it! They actually, uh, discharged him from the hospital today!"

" _Oh, that's good! Franco told us about what happened to the EMT. I don't remember what he called it, the white Foxy, but that one bit the EMT in the forehead... really, really badly..._ "

"And to think Uncle Frank kept saying 'Mangle' was going to be great... I-I hope he'll be okay... that sounds awful..." Phil frowned.

" _So, how have you been? Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving? We were planning on mailing the invitations to your aunt and uncle on Monday."_

"Mom, you and Dad are the best cooks I know. How could I NOT look forward to Thanksgiving?" Phil said with a laugh.

" _I'm planning on making some of my eggplant parmesan lasagna this year, how about you, honey?"_

" _Well, you better save some of that eggplant so I can prepare a nice assortment of tempura!"_

"I wonder if Jeremy will be okay for Thanksgiving..." Phil mused sadly.

" _His family will probably take good care of him, dear,_ " Yoko reassured.

"That's... that's actually the problem. He _doesn't_ want to go home for Thanksgiving. His parents aren't exactly supportive of him... a-and the fact that they didn't want him to have visitors kind of implies that they found out that he was dating, and... even though he would like to see his sister - Rachel, she's very nice - he's just worried that the trip would be a bad time."

" _So, why don't you invite him over to our house for Thanksgiving?_ " Federico suggested.

"D-Dad!" Phil gasped. "... wait... Uncle Frank is coming to Thanksgiving, isn't he?"

" _That's true... however, I still want to send my brother an invitation... he's come over for Thanksgiving many times in the past, even when Fiorella couldn't make it, so if he didn't get an invitation, I think he'd be upset. Tying into that, he'd probably know there was a reason why he didn't get invited. I think we'll try the same thing we were going to try with Jeremy on the day shift - remind him that I'm in charge and that it's my company, my -_ our _house - and if he has a problem with the guests, he'll be the one to leave._ "

"... I guess that might be okay. Jeremy was willing to try being on the day shift, he'd probably be willing to try being around Franco for an evening," Phil's face lit up, and his voice reflected it. "Oh! And if Aunt Flora comes, I know he'd love to meet her, considering they're both into biology!"

" _Exactly! I think the positives outweigh the negatives, but we'll wait and see what Jeremy thinks._ "

"Okay. I'll try to get in touch with him tomorrow."

" _Going to study some biology together?_ " Yoko asked.

"Mmhmm! And if Pat's available, the three of us might hang out for a little while."

" _Sounds like you'll have a good time. Was there anything else on your mind?"_

"Nope, I'm good! Thanks for hearing me out," Phil said. "I love you guys."

" _We love you too, Phillip. Goodbye!"_

"Bye!"

He hung up the phone with a satisfied smile, and went back to the living room to resume his studies... but he only got through one page before the excitement consumed him, and he ran back to pick up the phone.

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_November 26, 1987_

"I'm sorry again about yesterday," Jeremy apologized, as Phil pulled into the driveway. "I know you wanted to leave yesterday, but Picnix offered me such a long shift, I couldn't turn down the hours. Funny how I used to scorn the idea of working ten hours a day..."

"It's okay, Jer, you didn't do anything wrong," Phil reassured, as he parked the car, though he perked up a little more. "Oh! I recognize that car! Aunt Flora's here! We gotta get you unpacked and settled in for the weekend, huh?"

Jeremy smiled and nodded, as they exited the car and went to the trunk. As he draped the lone bag he had packed over his good shoulder, he looked up at the Fazari house.

Even if it had only one floor, it would've appeared to be a large house, but the Fazari house was _two_ stories high, and it appeared to be made of bricks, with ivy climbing up along the side of the house. Large bushes decorated the thriving green lawn, as Phil and Jeremy walked up to the front door.

Jeremy was about to knock on the door, only for Phil to open it.

"Hello, hello! We're here!"

"Phil!" A pudgy woman with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail hurried into the hallway, greeting Phil with a hug. "There's my favorite nephew!"

"I'm your only nephew!" Phil replied with a laugh, patting her back, before pulling away. "It's so nice to see you again!"

"Oh, and this must be Jeremy!" she exclaimed, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Fiorella Fazari, but please, call me Flora!"

" _Gentle_ with the handshakes, Aunt Flora! Jer hurt his arm a few weeks ago, and I know you can get excited!" Phil scolded.

"Nice to meet you, too," Jeremy replied, shaking her hand, his grip firm and polite despite the limited motion on the shake. "Phil spoke about you a few times... the botanist?"

"Zoologist," she corrected with a grin. "I love animals! I think you're studying biology, right? Come on in! Rico and Yoko are already cooking up a storm in the kitchen, but they'll want to at least say hello."

Phil, practically with a skip in his step, led Jeremy over to the kitchen, where Federico and Yoko were indeed busy cooking. Phil had already described how different their traditional Thanksgiving meal was, but... it was still quite a sight to behold, watching as the two of them did their best to share the kitchen counter - Yoko carefully slicing up a cucumber, while Federico carefully placed tomatoes onto some bread - bruschetta, he believed it was?

"Phillip! And Jeremy! Good to see you!" Federico's voice boomed joyously, as he and his wife set aside their ingredients, walking over to them. "Was the drive okay? Are you looking forward to dinner?"

"Yes, and yes," Phil replied, hugging each of his parents. "I missed you both so much."

"And how are things going for you, Jeremy?" Federico asked, extending a hand to shake. "... I know about your arm, I'll be careful."

"... I'm... good, sir," Jeremy replied, shaking hands with him; he was a little intimidated by seeing Federico in-person, considering how large he was - tall and muscular, but with a little bit of the fat his younger siblings sported.

"I know you're probably used to turkey and mashed potatoes, but trust me - this is one Thanksgiving feast you'll never forget!" Federico chuckled, briefly glancing over at an eggplant resting on the kitchen counter.

"So I've heard!" Jeremy remarked, exchanging a grin with Phil. "And what are you making, Mrs. Fazari?"

"Just some sushi rolls," she replied with a smile, as she resumed rolling the cucumber, rice, and something that looked like dark paper into a log, before slicing it. "I planned on making extra cucumber rolls, since Franco likes those, and I wasn't sure if you wanted to try the kinds with raw fish."

"Well... I guess I won't know until I try!" Jeremy said with a weak smile.

He had almost forgotten Franco would be coming.

"Um, I'm going to show Jeremy around a little, so I'll let you guys focus," Phil stated, before walking off with Jeremy in tow.

He led him through what appeared to be a reading room, with several bookshelves and lamps for adequate lighting as well as a sofa and an armchair. Flora, already seated on the sofa and reading a book, gave them a friendly wave as they passed through.

Right next to it was the stairway, where Phil and Jeremy made their way upstairs.

"All the bedrooms are on the second floor," Phil explained, as he turned to the left and continued walking. "We have a master bedroom down that end of the hall - where my parents sleep - two guest rooms, a bathroom..."

He stopped at the door at the end of the hall.

"And a 'deluxe' bedroom, that I call my own," Phil finished, opening the door.

It was rather tidy, naturally, considering that its inhabitant had been away at college for the past three years. Under the window at the opposite side of the room was a desk, the perfect spot to rely on natural light, with dressers on either side of the desk. Along the other wall were two thin doorways, and a king-sized bed placed between them, and the wall nearest to them had a bookshelf as well as a table that held a TV and a few plushie versions of the Fazbear Entertainment characters.

"Two closets?" Jeremy asked.

"Closet AND a doorway into the bathroom," Phil clarified with a wink. "By the way, always remember to knock."

Jeremy nodded thoughtfully, though he stiffened as he heard Federico and Fiorella speaking excitedly downstairs, realizing another guest must have arrived.

Phil's lips curled in for a moment as well, but he smiled a second later.

"Y-you know, uh, I have one of those new NES systems... ever hear of 'The Legend of Zelda'? The last time I played was over the summer. Mostly with my dad, but my mom tried it out a few times as well," Phil remarked, looking down at the spot where his right arm ended. "I kind of need a Player 2, if you know what I mean."

He turned on the console and picked up the controller before taking a seat on the bed, nodding to the spot next to him. Jeremy sat down, lips twisted, looking down at the controller. With Phil's hand on the left side, he figured he needed to hold his side in his right hand.

"What buttons do I use?" Jeremy asked, as the game's theme song played through the television.

"Well, you hit the 'Start' button to actually start the game, and then I'll explain it as we go!" Phil instructed, smiling a little brighter.

Jeremy smiled back, and hit the button to begin. After Phil taught him how to enter the name - choosing to go for the name 'Link', as mentioned in the manual - they began their journey. About two hours and only four pieces of the Triforce later - Phil had walked into a Stalfos, and Jeremy got jumpy and forgot to shield against the Octoroks on multiple occasions - Federico's voice rang out from downstairs, calling them down to dinner.

Tempura, okonomiyaki, sushi (Jeremy had even been bold enough to try one of the pieces of the eel roll made for Phil), and takoyaki... eggplant parmesan lasagna, bruschetta, lobster ravioli, and involtini... Jeremy had tried a little bit of everything by the time dinner had passed. While Franco watched TV in the living room and Phil helped his parents clean up the kitchen, Flora and Jeremy discussed biology in the reading room as they drank iced tea.

"... I just wish the word wasn't 'theory', you know? It makes me wish they had used a different form of scientific jargon. So many people reject the theory of evolution because they're so used to theory meaning 'this might be what happened'," Jeremy concluded, before taking a big swig of tea. "... I kind of rambled there, didn't I?"

"Naah! It's fine! I wouldn't have the job I have today if I didn't pursue biology so passionately! I actually sounded a lot like you when I was your age!" Fiorella insisted. "Well, keep your grades up and try to land an internship - that'll look good when you apply to grad school!"

"O-oh, well," Jeremy swiveled the cup in his hand, watching the small whirlpool in the tea. "I still haven't decided if I'm going to apply or not. I've been thinking about it more and more, I actually kind of want to, but I still don't know if I should..."

"Jeremy, take it from the lady with the master's degree - there is only ONE. THING. That guarantees you won't get into grad school," she cautioned, glaring at him sternly.

"... What's that?" Jeremy asked, growing concerned.

"... Not applying to grad school!" she teased, jabbing him with a finger.

"That's true, but... I don't know, I only attend the community college and they don't have graduate programs for biology. The local university does, but... it's literally the best public university in the state! It's hard enough to get into for undergrad! I mean, I was smart enough to probably get accepted, but I was too nervous to even apply!" Jeremy smacked his forehead with a palm. "... Yeah, yeah, I know. I doomed myself to not get accepted."

"Again, take it from the lady with the master's degree - you sound a LOT like I did when I was your age. And look where I am now! Jeremy, if you really want to attend grad school, go for it."

Jeremy was about to answer, when Phil stepped into the room.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that we were just about to have dessert, so I thought I'd come by and give you the heads up," he commented.

"Well, you better tell my brothers not to eat all the sweets!" Fiorella chuckled, as Phil left the room. "... It's ultimately up to you, Jeremy, but I strongly suggest you keep my advice in mind."

He nodded with a smile.

"... I will, thanks."

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_December 15, 1987_

Soap opera. Infomercial. Soap opera. Cartoon. A home and gardening show. The documentary on the nature channel he had seen twice and still didn't care for.

Jeremy sighed and turned off the TV, looking out the window. Everything was gray and dull, thanks to the clouds looming overhead. With Pat out taking an exam, he supposed he could try to find a book to read... and he could've sworn there was a deck of cards around here somewhere...

The phone rang, and Jeremy hurried to pick it up.

"Hello?"

" _Hello, hello!_ "

"How was your exam?"

" _Ehh... business-y. There were some things I got stuck on here or there... I don't think I'm gonna get an 'A', but... I'm like ninety percent sure I passed. And I was doing fine in the class already, so I think I'm still gonna make an 'A' or a 'B'._ "

"Yeah, I think you'll be okay, Phil," Jeremy agreed. "... Do you have any more exams left to take?"

" _Just the bio one!_ " Phil exclaimed. " _It's on Thursday, so I still have a good chunk of time left._ "

"Do you want to get together and study?" Jeremy asked.

" _I was just about to ask if you wanted to come over. Are you working tomorrow?_ "

"I work tomorrow night at The Bird and Barb. Why do you ask?" Jeremy inquired.

" _Well... I don't know..._ " Phil's voice turned kind of sing-songy before he continued. " _I-I'm not obligated to do anything tomorrow, so... maybe you'd like to stay the night, if you know what I mean?_ "

"Oh..." Jeremy laughed shyly. "I still have the supplies from last time, if you want me to bring them over, if that's what you're saying?"

" _Mmhmm. Although, uh, maybe it would be better if you came sooner than later? I-it's looking kind of gray today, and I know driving in the rain isn't exactly pleasant. At the very least, make sure you come over BEFORE dinner, okay? I want to at least treat you to dinner._ "

"Oh, yeah, dinner would be great!" Jeremy exclaimed. "I mean, my food situation is better now that I have a second job, really, but I won't turn down the offer!"

" _Sounds good! Just come over whenever you're ready._ "

"I'm literally going to go grab the supplies now. See ya, Phil."

" _Bye, Jeremy_ ," Phil replied on the other line with a little laugh, before hanging up.

Jeremy hung up the phone as well, casting one last look at the gray clouds outside, before heading back into his room.

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"Hello, hello!" Phil greeted, as he opened the door. "It's nice to see you, Jer. You'll be pleased to know that King Phillip Cooked... uh, Our Food. Good Stuff!"

"Nice save," Jeremy laughed, handing over one of the miniature 'bouquets' from his pentas plant, as he entered the apartment.

"So, uh, I-I'm actually going to try my hand at cooking tonight!" Phil commented. "I-it's definitely harder to cook with one hand, but noodles aren't too difficult."

"I think some warm noodles would be perfect on a day like this," Jeremy agreed.

"But these aren't like the microwavable stuff you get at the store... that's more like ramen. I'm preparing some udon with fried tofu tonight." **(1)**

"I bet it'll be lovely," Jeremy complimented, leaning in to give Phil a quick kiss on the cheek. "Uh, should I set these aside somewhere?"

He held up a plastic grocery bag.

"Um, back that way is my room," Phil stated, pointing to a door at the end of the hall. "Once you're in there, uh, you'll find my bathroom. Just put it on the counter in there. Want a can of cola?"

"Please," Jeremy replied over his shoulder, as he walked back to Phil's room.

They spent the next few hours reviewing Phil's notes, with Jeremy quizzing him on information every so often. Phil asked Jeremy for a lot of help with the subject matter relating to evolution in particular - not that it was his weakest area, but Jeremy always became so passionate and analytical when talking about it, and Phil simply loved to listen to him.

As Phil turned to the next page in his notes, Jeremy's stomach audibly growled.

"I'm getting hungry too, how about I start cooking?" Phil commented with a chuckle.

"Would you like any help?" Jeremy offered, as Phil stood up.

"Nah, I think if I make this for you all on my own, it'll be that much more special," Phil stated, leaning down to give Jeremy a kiss on the cheek like he had received earlier. "You go ahead and watch TV."

"If there's anything on," Jeremy remarked, rolling his eyes with a smile, as he got up and moved to the sofa.

He checked the nature channel, showing another documentary he had already seen - the one with the desert wildlife he had watched with Phil in his own apartment. Jeremy smiled, leaning back against the seat, enjoying the documentary and the sounds of Phil cooking in the kitchen - the soft rush of water as he filled a pot, the sound of a knife dicing something at a surprisingly rapid pace, and the little hums of approval Phil made as he worked. As time passed, Jeremy found he actually wanted the documentary to end _quicker,_ the delectable aroma from the kitchen growing stronger.

It was practically perfect timing when Phil announced that dinner was ready, with only a few minutes left in the documentary. Jeremy quickly turned off the TV, stepping back into the dining room.

"Oh, I don't mind waiting until your documentary's done!" Phil reassured, carrying a bowl between his hand and the end of his arm; the former clad in an oven mitt and the latter with a towel draped over it to protect him from the heat. "We could even eat in the living room and watch TV, if you'd prefer!"

"Nah, I want to eat with a little bit of quiet," Jeremy shrugged it off with a smile. "Easier to make conversation that way. I'll grab the other bowl."

"O-okay!" Phil agreed, carrying the bowl out to the table and hurrying to set it down. "This one's for you, actually, so I'll put it where you sat before!"

He set it down at Jeremy's spot at the table, before moving around the table to take his seat. Jeremy arrived shortly after, cautiously carrying the bowl by using a thick layer of napkins to protect his hands. He looked down at the table, puzzled for a brief moment, before setting the bowl down in front of Phil and taking his seat.

"Alright, so... this is udon," Jeremy commented, looking down at his bowl. "Definitely looks thicker than ramen. I already know what scallions and mushrooms are... and I'm presuming the golden-brown stuff is the fried tofu."

"Right," Phil confirmed, before using his chopsticks to tuck some noodles into his mouth.

Though he still hadn't quite mastered how to use them, Jeremy took his own set of chopsticks in his hand and attempted to pick up something white and cut in the shape of a flower, with a pink swirl in the middle - it slipped out from between his chopsticks twice before he was able to properly lift it.

"... And what are these?"

" _Kamaboko_!" Phil declared proudly. "It's like a _surimi_ loaf - uh, _surimi_ is kind of like ground-up fish and shellfish in a paste. Think of it like a little slice of a fish cake!"

Jeremy eyed it a little longer before lifting it into his mouth, followed by some of the udon noodles, slurping a little.

"Not bad," Jeremy remarked, after swallowing down the bite he had taken.

"Mmhmm! Those ones are special. They're called _narutomaki._ They have the, uh, little spiral because they're supposed to represent the whirlpools in the Naruto Strait in Japan."

"Oh, that's cute!" Jeremy commented with a grin, before blowing on another bite of noodles.

Phil smiled back, before taking another bite. They were content to eat rather quietly tonight, merely enjoying the other's presence.

"This is nice," Phil commented after a little while. "Just a simple little home-cooked meal like this? Sure, it's also enjoyable when we go out to the lake, or to the Wizard's Brew, but... I dunno, I think the quiet was a nice change of pace."

"Yeah, we should do this again sometime," Jeremy agreed, prodding a mushroom in his bowl with one of his chopsticks. "Maybe I can speak with Pat, so we can figure out a good night for this in my apartment? That way I could take on cooking duty next time. I mean... I don't know any fancy recipes off the top of my head, but they sometimes have little recipe cards at Picnix, maybe I could figure something out? Worst case scenario, Rachel and Pat can confirm I make a mean PB & J."

Phil and Jeremy laughed, but as they grew quieter, their gazes lingered on each other.

"I think one of the reasons I'm really enjoying this... is that I'm so used to eating dinner alone every night," Phil finally commented, his voice soft. "Jeremy... I've been thinking..."

"Hmm?"

"Well, we're both planning on taking classes next year. A-and your complex has lower prices than mine, not to mention the bathrooms are better - you saw that I only have a walk-in shower, right? I remember your bathroom has a shower AND bath, and let me tell you, there are some days where you just really want a hot bath."

Jeremy smiled, nodding in agreement, before finishing the last of his udon.

"It's just... I dunno..." Phil fiddled with his chopsticks, before bringing his gaze back up to meet Jeremy's. "Would... would you like to share an apartment next year?"

"Yeah, of course I'd like to!" Jeremy confirmed.

Phil beamed at him before finishing the final few bites of udon.

"There's just one thing," Jeremy commented. "You gotta keep an eye out around campus for scholarship offers, okay? Depending on what classes I take, I'll probably have to resign from one of my jobs. And I want my income to be enough to pay my fair share of the bills."

"I'll definitely keep an eye out then! Same thing for the spring semester!" Phil promised, gathering his bowl and chopsticks as he stood up.

They tidied the dining room area and resumed reading Phil's notes, listening to the rushing water of the dishwasher and the gusts of wind that rustled the trees outside. Phil read through the last paragraph of his notes a little bit quieter, and Jeremy summarized things much more concisely, before Phil finally closed the notebook.

"... W-we always get kind of quiet before this, don't we?" Phil asked with a shy chuckle.

Jeremy smiled sheepishly back.

"Well, it's still kind of early - it's not even eight yet. Do you want to see if there's something on TV? How about a movie? Although, I guess almost everything on TV right now is Christmas stuff."

"That's okay, there's some good Christmas movies out there! Surely you've heard of _It's a Wonderful Life_? Oh, or what about _A Christmas Story_?"

"Which one?"

"No, that's the name of the - " Phil paused. "You've never seen _A Christmas Story_?! Oh, man, I really hope that's showing tonight!"

They sat down on the couch, Jeremy draping an arm around Phil's shoulders as he rested his head against him. Though they weren't able to find _A Christmas Story_ , there was an adaptation of _A Christmas Carol_ on, so they settled for that.

It almost seemed like Ebenezer Scrooge wasn't the only one being haunted; halfway through the film, the TV lost power on a few occasions, with the lights dimming and flickering as the wind gusted outside. Jeremy's arm pulled Phil a little closer as the power finally went out, leaving the apartment in total darkness. Phil gently patted Jeremy's thigh.

"You hear how windy it is out there... it's probably from the storm blowing past us. The powerlines must really be, uh, swinging and swaying out there. It'll be - " Phil's tone picked up as the lights turned on again. "... back to normal before you know it!"

Except for one malfunction right as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appeared, the rest of the movie went by without any other problems, ending with Tiny Tim's iconic "God bless us, every one!" before the credits rolled. With that, Phil hit the power button on the remote, glancing up at Jeremy.

"Shall we...?" he invited.

Jeremy nodded silently, before they proceeded into Phil's bedroom. Aside from a half-filled suitcase near the wall, he too did a pretty good job of keeping clean, though it wasn't as meticulously organized as Jeremy's room.

They slipped out of their shoes as they crossed the room, taking a seat on Phil's bed. Quick and light kisses exchanged between them soon gave way to longer and deeper kisses, the kind that left Phil clenching Jeremy's shirt in his hand. As he let his hand relax, he pulled out of the kiss, Jeremy looking down at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Jer?" Phil asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"I-I know we said that maybe this time I would, uh, 'take the lead'... but I think I'll take an 'IOU' on that offer. Especially because..."

As he looked into those chocolate brown eyes he adored so much, he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence the way he wanted - _because you seem a little tense tonight and I think you'd be more comfortable in control of things._

"... because, well, uh... I ate light f-for a reason," Phil chuckled nervously, his cheeks a little red. "J-just to be... uh, 'safe' and all."

Okay, so it was true that he had also enjoyed being on the receiving end during their first time together. But considering that Jeremy still seemed to be on edge after the power hiccups, making sure he felt safe and secure was now the biggest reason Phil wanted Jeremy to lead. Was the dark reminding him of his time spent at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza? Or maybe it was the fact that Jeremy had been the recipient during his first time - not a good experience - and the idea of trying it again was stressing him out?

"Phil," Jeremy said, bringing Phil's attention back to him. "... You were staring off into space."

"Sorry about that," Phil apologized, before pulling his shirt off over his head. "I'm ready."

Jeremy gripped the bottom of his own shirt, but he lingered, hesitating to pull it off.

"You don't have to take it off if you don't want to," Phil offered.

"No, no, I'm good," Jeremy insisted. "I'm just... in the habit of being slow. You know, because of my arm."

With that, he slowly pulled his shirt off up to his shoulders, where he slowed down the pace and was far more gentle when removing his right arm from the sleeve. Jeremy had gotten his stitches taken out two days before Thanksgiving, but there was still a faint scar along the side of his arm.

Phil's arms wrapped around Jeremy's shoulders as their lips met again, leaning back to pull him down on the bed with him. He felt Jeremy's hand on his back as he was slowly lowered onto the bed, this time slower and much more smoothly. Jeremy pulled back from the kiss to gently touch his forehead to Phil's, with a teasing grin. Phil laughed softly before he let his mouth be claimed by Jeremy again, his fingertips tracing little circles against Jeremy's skin.

Rain started to patter against against the roof as Jeremy's lips moved further down, along Phil's jaw, down his neck, along his left collarbone... his hand tracing gently down the side of his body left Phil's breath shaky.

A low roll of thunder caused Jeremy to lift his head, looking up at the window.

"I thought you said the storm was going to blow past us?" he asked, his brows furrowed.

"W-well, you know what they say about the weather channel being wrong, heh," Phil chuckled, before his voice grew soft. "... Jeremy, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Jeremy insisted, shaking his head.

"Remember what I said last time? You're allowed to say 'no' too if you're... ah..."

"I'm fine," Jeremy repeated, his thumb massaging one of Phil's nipples.

He lowered his mouth to the other one before Phil could make another coherent statement, sucking on it, even letting his teeth delicately graze it, as Phil squirmed and moaned underneath Jeremy.

He moved his free hand from the side of Phil's body to the front of his pants, cupping his hand against his crotch. Phil let out a pleased gasp, only for that to turn to a desperate cry, arching his back as Jeremy moved his hand back and forth, massaging the bulge in his pants that became more noticeable.

"J-Jer... b-bathroom..." Phil managed to stutter out between gasps.

"The supplies?" Jeremy inquired, stopping his movement.

Phil could only nod as Jeremy removed his hand, planting a quick kiss to Phil's cheek before he climbed off him.

Phil lay on the bed, his thoughts swirling in his head like scallions in broth, still coming down from the pleasure in the moments prior. Jeremy had been super careful the first time... was he secretly more of the rough type? It kind of turned him on, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for that level of intensity... or maybe he was?

There was a bright flash of light outside, followed by a clap of thunder so loud and powerful that it shook the small apartment - but what scared Phil more was the way Jeremy had cried out, followed by the sound of something crashing against the cabinet in his bathroom.

"Jeremy?!" Phil exclaimed, bolting off the bed. "Jeremy!"

He hurried into the bathroom, where he found Jeremy clutching his right arm, his face pale as he wheezed heavily, leaning against the wooden cabinet under the sink.

"Jer, what's wrong? D-did you fall?" Phil asked, getting onto his knees beside him.

"My arm," Jeremy gasped out. "M-m-my arm!"

"O-okay," Phil said, scooting around to Jeremy's right side. "Let me take a look."

He gently held Jeremy's hand and lowered it from his arm - but all he could see was his scar.

"Did you fall on your arm?" Phil asked.

"No, the bullet - " Jeremy coughed in-between his heavy breaths. "Th-the bullet - it hurts!"

"Jeremy..." Phil's brows furrowed. "Jeremy... there weren't any fragments of the bullet in your wound. You said that was what the doctor told you."

"H-he was wrong, I w-was wrong... it's in there, it hurts, I can't have it, I'll die..."

"Jeremy! Jeremy," Phil gave Jeremy's hand a little squeeze. "Breathe slower. Calm down. There's no bullet, just take it easy."

Now crying, Jeremy squeezed Phil's hand in return. Phil returned the gesture, and Jeremy squeezed back, the two of them communicating through touch alone, and it made Phil wish that he had studied more psychology so he had some idea of what Jeremy was thinking.

"Here, um..." Still holding Jeremy's hand, Phil helped him to his feet. "How about this? We'll try putting some ice on your arm for a few minutes, to see if that helps the pain?"

Jeremy didn't reply, still trying to hold back tears, as Phil led him through the dark apartment and back into the kitchen, flipping the light on. As Phil rummaged in the freezer for some ice, the thunder rumbled softly again, causing Jeremy to whimper.

"Shh... it's okay, Jeremy. It's going to be okay," Phil reassured, handing him some ice cubes bundled in a paper towel. "Put that against your arm for a few minutes and see how you feel."

Holding the ice against his arm, Jeremy meandered back into the dining room, taking a seat at the table while trying to keep his voice down. Phil pulled up a chair and sat next to him, gently rubbing his back as he cried it out.

"I was scared too... when it happened. But you... I'm sorry, Jer."

They sat there quietly for a while, Phil rubbing circles against his back, switching the direction each time there was a rumble of thunder. Almost half an hour passed before the storm started to quiet down... as did Jeremy.

"What happened to me, Phil?" he asked morosely, looking down at the damp paper towel in his hand.

"I don't know... but it's gotta be rough," Phil sighed, gently patting Jeremy's back. "Maybe... maybe you should speak with a professional. E-even a counselor on campus might be able to point you in the right direction."

"Yeah... yeah, you're probably right," Jeremy agreed, wiping his eyes. "I hate feeling this way."

Phil nodded sympathetically.

"... I'm here for you, every step of the way," he reached out his arms - cautiously making sure Jeremy would be okay with a hug - before wrapping them around Jeremy, resting his head against his shoulder. "Call me any time you need me, okay? E-even if it's 3 am. I'll listen to you and make sure everything's okay, and I won't hang up until you feel better."

They sat there, quietly holding each other, a low roll of thunder causing Jeremy to cling to him a little tighter. Phil gently rubbed his back a little more, before they finally pulled apart.

"Sorry..." Jeremy mumbled.

"You don't have to apologize, it's okay," Phil reassured.

"It's just..." Jeremy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I kind of ruined our plans for the evening."

"No, no, you didn't ruin anything. Cuddling is nice too, you know?" Phil asked, taking Jeremy's hand and interlocking their fingers.

"... It is, isn't it?" Jeremy agreed, giving Phil's hand a light squeeze.

They walked back to Phil's bedroom and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to their shoulders... though it wasn't quite as enveloping as the feeling of being in each other's arms.

"Night, Jer."

"Night, Phil."

"... Love you," Jeremy whispered, before closing his eyes.

"Love you too."

Phil lay awake a little while longer, gently petting Jeremy's hair, watching his chest rise and fall as he breathed. He finally seemed to be at peace... but there would probably be more nights like this ahead. Phil knew couldn't just "cuddle away" the trauma Jeremy had gone through, but at the very least, he would be there for him and do whatever it took to get him through the rougher times. He'd help him seek the professional help he needed... help him...

... Phil had closed his eyes, trying to think of any other ways he could help Jeremy, but a wave of sleep crashed over his thoughts, and he succumbed to the depths of slumber.

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_June 3, 1988_

The last time Phil had worn an apron, he had a job washing dishes at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, so he was getting used that feeling of that strap rubbing against the back of his neck (with a polo shirt to protect him, of course) once again. Of course, this time the apron had the logo for _Picnix_ on it, and he was now a cashier, returning back to his apartment after spending the past seven hours standing around scanning groceries, counting out change, and showing the new bagger the ropes.

After two weeks, he was still adjusting to his new job - he was still adjusting to a lot of things, as he remembered the way Jeremy had tried to stifle a laugh when he had to explain that he was late for dinner due to driving to the wrong apartment complex.

But a part of him kind of didn't want to adjust, to love the little things that were so new and yet could bring him so much joy - like how he was now parking his Mercury Sable in a spot right next to a certain Ford Escort.

He walked up the sidewalk to the complex and opened the door - he knew it wasn't locked - finding a pizza box sitting on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

"Jer!" Phil gasped.

"Hey, Phil!" Jeremy exclaimed, looking up from the notebook in his lap. "Perfect timing. The delivery guy left _juuust_ before you got here, so I can promise you the pizza's still pretty warm."

"You ordered pizza?!" Phil exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got a super generous couple last night. Their meal was less than fifteen dollars, but they gave me a twenty and told me to keep the change... so I thought I'd treat us to pizza! ... Sorry I didn't tell you, I just wanted to make it a surprise. We've officially lived together for a whole month!" Jeremy placed his notebook aside, getting up to fetch some plates from the kitchen. "How was your day?"

"Uh..." Phil shrugged. "Just counting money and dealing with customers. Oh! Although, we did hire a new bagger. Kind of shy, but you can tell he's super sweet."

"He sounds nice. What's his name?"

"I..." Phil frowned. "I didn't get to ask. I didn't even see his nametag."

"That's okay, you can ask him another time."

"How about you?" Phil asked, as Jeremy passed him a plate with two slices. "You always have the more interesting stories. What'd your internship involve today?"

"Uh, mostly nutrition studies," Jeremy remarked, holding up his notebook. "Because today was Friday, we decided to treat the animals to a little enrichment. I got to chuck - "

He put both his arms out in front of him, pantomiming the act of throwing a heavy object.

"... a watermelon RIGHT into the jaws of an alligator!"

"Whoa!"

"I weighed the watermelons prior, so I was just running some calculations to compare the ratio of melon to rind based on mass, and compared that with the mass of the leftovers I was able to collect."

"The professor takes the animals' diets pretty seriously, huh?"

"Actually, the only thing we were required to take notes on were whether or not the animals ate the melon or not, and see if there were patterns to what kind of animal consumed the fruit... studying the amount consumed was my idea, while taking the rind into account. I hypothesized that while the melon would be more frequently consumed, due to the moisture and sugar content, I also wondered if the rind would be consumed more for the texture - maybe not even consumed, but at least chewed on. Like for teething, you know?"

Phil sort of stared at him in surprise, nodding.

"You really thought this through. I bet the professor will be impressed!"

"I... I hope so. It kind of feels like I'm pointing out random details to try to sound smart," Jeremy remarked shyly.

"Hey," Phil objected, gently poking Jeremy with his finger. "You _are_ smart. And the professor _will_ be impressed - at the very least, you put a lot of effort into making your report stand out. Effort should be praised in addition to the content produced."

"Thanks, Phil," Jeremy replied, a smile returning to his face. "Now then, I think you better have some pizza before it gets cold."

"With how the weather's been this summer? That pizza's probably gotten warmer!" Phil jested, before lifting a slice to his mouth.

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_May 7, 1989_

"Phillip Fazari."

Clad in his cap and gown, he strolled onto the stage to shake hands with the dean, before taking his certificate - making sure to smile brightly as one of the photographers snapped a graduation photo. He tucked it under his opposite arm and proceeded to the center of the stage, shaking hands with the chancellor - another photo opportunity - before finally stepping down from the stage... just in time for one last graduation photo.

And just like that, his time had come and gone, and he was returning to his seat in the auditorium. He looked around at the thousands of faces above him, trying in vain to spot his family and Jeremy among the crowd.

Two hours later, he was singing the school's alma mater, as he officially graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Once all the graduates had left the auditorium, he carefully made his way through the crowd of students, out to the small garden near the football stadium.

"Oh, Phil! Congratulations!" Fiorella was the first to speak up as he approached them.

"We're all very proud of you," his mother added."

"How are you feeling?" Federico asked.

"Thank you! Uh... I'm feeling... I don't know. Kind of excited, but also kind of relieved," he tried to fan himself off with his hand.

"And probably hot," Jeremy remarked with a chuckle, opening a bottle of cold water before handing it to Phil. "You ready to head back to the apartment to change?"

Phil chugged down a few gulps, then shook his head.

"Actually, I kind of wanted to stay to take a few pictures," he remarked, glancing behind him. "The garden kind of makes for a nice background, you know?"

"Oh, that's a lovely idea!" Fiorella remarked, removing a camera from her purse. "Rico, here, get a picture of us!"

Federico had only a second to react, almost fumbling the camera as it was shoved into his hands.

"Well... her name _does_ mean 'flower'..." Federico reasoned, before snapping a photo of them together. "You next, Jeremy!"

"To... take a picture, sir?" he asked cautiously.

"No, I mean, I'll take a picture of you with Phil! And maybe one with Fiorella with you both?" Federico asked.

" _Definitely_ one with the three of us!" Fiorella piped in. "Biologists gotta stick together."

Federico laughed, gesturing for Jeremy to join them in the garden.

They all took turns, trading a camera here or there, for everyone to get a picture with Phil, until Yoko spoke up.

"These are all nice... but the five of us should get a picture together," Yoko pointed out.

"Ah, excuse me! Sir!" Federico called over a passing man. "Would you be so kind as to take a picture of us?"

"Oh, sure! You mean like a family pho..." his voice trailed off as his eyes studied Jeremy's face intently.

Jeremy looked away awkwardly, but before he could properly step away from the Fazari family, the man spoke again.

"You're that really smart waiter that served me a few nights ago!" he exclaimed, his tone brightening. "Taking on that challenge of ordering raw oysters... it really helped me feel manlier!"

"That's Jeremy for you!" Fiorella exclaimed proudly, moving to stand in front of him for the picture... though she offered him a subtle yet comforting pat on the back before she stepped to the front and side of him.

The five of them smiled as the man snapped a few pictures, before he handed the camera back to Federico. Everyone was still smiling, though an uncomfortable silence hung around them in the air.

"... The challenge of eating raw oysters, huh?" Federico asked Jeremy, breaking the silence. "Did you take any psychology courses as electives?"

"No, though I guess psychology may have played a part in it," Jeremy shrugged. "I just knew the high levels of zinc and magnesium found in oysters would both boost and maintain his testosterone levels."

Federico chuckled, nodding approvingly.

"Okay, NOW I think I'm ready to head back to the apartment to change," Phil commented, as they made their way to where they had parked, Jeremy's Escort right next to his father's car.

He felt a large but gentle hand rest on his shoulder, and his father spoke softly to him.

"I was planning to visit your uncle for a few hours while we were in town... I thought I would ask if you'd like to come along?" Federico asked.

"I... uh..." he looked over at Jeremy and Fiorella, who appeared to have started another conversation with each other - something scientific, no doubt, based on their smiles. "... I think I'll pass for today. But, uh, could you still tell him 'hello' for me?"

"Will do, Phillip." his father gently patted his shoulder.

He quickly exchanged a hug with his mother and father before climbing into the front seat of the Escort.

Jeremy started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, the three of them quiet once again.

"So, Jer! Next year, it'll be you on that stage, huh?" Fiorella commented, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah. Ronaldo's going to be graduating at the same time too... Pat graduated in the same class as Phil, though it's too bad we didn't get a chance to say 'hi'..." Jeremy commented. "Mrs... uh, Fiorella - "

"Nah, it's just 'Miss'. And even then, you can just call me 'Fiorella' or 'Flora'. No need for fancy titles."

"Right, uh, Flora..." Jeremy adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "Thank you for stepping in back there... that situation could've turned out awkward."

"Yeah... we've, uh, we've done a pretty good job of keeping things quiet, but... I think there's a few people who have 'caught on'. They didn't, uh, make things awkward or anything, but..."

"But you're worried in case things turn out to be _more_ than just 'awkward'," she stated cooly, a drastic change from her bubbly nature a few moments ago. "Like how your uncle is kind of teetering on that edge between awkward and... 'trouble', let's put it that way."

"Mmmhmm," Phil agreed.

Fiorella let out a sigh.

"Federico loves his family more than anything. I've always tried to keep my distance from Franco, but as a result, it's been harder for me to visit your father because thanks to business, he wound up spending more time around Franco. He's trying so hard to 'save' the family, but I think he's starting to realize it's futile. And it probably breaks his heart," she gently clenched and unclenched her hand. "But Phil... thanks to you and Jeremy... I think I finally have the courage to tell him..."

"He might be a little upset, but my dad'll understand, I'm sure," Phil remarked. "A-and hey, I'm still going to be in the area for another year, you can come visit us if you ever want to visit family."

"That's right! We all gotta stick up for each other, don't we?" she asked teasingly.

Phil and Jeremy exchanged a confused look in the front seat, and Fiorella chuckled.

"What, you never figured it out?" Fiorella placed a hand on her hip and another hand on the back of her head, posing in the back seat. "Phillip, honey, why do you think a lady as beautiful as your aunt has never gotten married?"

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_June 4, 1989_

Jeremy and Phil gasped, exchanging a look of surprise, though smiles started to spread across their faces.

"Did you really?" Jeremy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I did!" Ronaldo confirmed, grinning widely. "We went out to dinner on Friday night. Sophia thought it was a nice date at her favorite restaurant, but I surprised her and proposed! And... we are now planning for a spring wedding. Maybe March?"

"I don't know, spring break will mean a lot of students travelling out of town, plus it doesn't give you a lot of time for the honeymoon. Maybe over the summer would be best, once you've graduated?" Jeremy clammed up quickly. "Sorry, uh, I know that it's your wedding..."

"No, that's actually a good point. I'll speak with Sophia about it," Ronaldo mused, nodding.

"Oh, but still! Congratulations!" Phil exclaimed with glee, pulling Ronaldo in for a hug. "I wish Sophia had come along so I could congratulate her too... where is she?"

Ronaldo's smile disappeared.

"Because you two had made plans yesterday... we told Heather the news first."

"Is something wrong?" Phil asked in concern.

"I am not sure... Heather was excited at first, like you. Sophia even told her that she wanted Heather to be one of the bridesmaids."

"Oh, wow!"

"However, this made Heather upset, and she said no. She was so upset that she had to leave," Ronaldo let out a sigh. "Sophia said she wanted to try to fix things with her, to not have any bad feelings."

"So... that must mean she's with Heather right now," Phil concluded.

Ronaldo simply nodded.

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Fortunately for them, the Wizard's Brew was rather quiet at this time of day, allowing Heather and Sophia to privately discuss their thoughts.

"I think I should apologize first," Heather confessed, taking a sip of her coffee. "I kind of exploded at you guys yesterday. You're going through an exciting time in your lives, you don't need me being anxious about something to kill the mood."

"It's okay, I'm sorry for upsetting you in the first place. I don't know _what_ I said, but I never meant to make you unhappy," Sophia laced her fingers together. "I... uh... I was thinking..."

"Yeah?"

"Um... if you can... is there any chance you could tell me why you're upset? If you _want_ to, I mean. I really would love for you to be a part of our wedding, so... maybe if I knew what the problem was, we could figure out a solution?"

"It's just... well..." Heather took another sip of coffee, keeping her voice low. "I've tried wearing dresses before, and... I'm not exactly, uh, a busty girl... they just aren't for me."

"You can't let other people's opinions stop you from wearing the dress of your dreams!" Sophia argued, trying to motivate her. "Take it from someone who's been told I'm 'too fat' to wear certain kinds of clothing, this is going to be the only time I get to wear a wedding dress... so I'm gonna wear the dress of my dreams!"

Heather smiled weakly.

"Look, that's... a really great attitude to have, but... my situation is different. And... a lot more complicated."

"What if all the bridesmaids wore blouses and skirts? You had that really nice cerulean one from when we went to the opera a few years ago... are you okay with skirts?"

Heather nodded.

"Alright! Then, once I've picked out the other bridesmaids, I'll tell them to pick out their best blouses and skirts. If... if all the bridesmaids dressed that way, would you be one too?"

"I think I could handle it, yeah."

Sophia let out a squeal of delight, getting out of her seat to scurry around to the other side of the table to hug Heather.

"I'm sure you'll be a great bridesmaid!" she complimented. "Should we pick out a color scheme for blouses, or skirts? Maybe both? Oh, we'll figure it out later. A woman like you looks great in anything."

Sophia might have had to rely more on hard work than brainpower to make it into the nursing program, but sometimes that girl knew the right thing to say. It must've come with a such a kind heart, Heather figured, tightly hugging her in return.

Sophia finally gave in to excited giggles.

"I'm getting married!"

"You're getting married, Soph," Heather affirmed.

"Oh, there's going to be cake and pictures and - " Sophia couldn't help but squeal in delight. "It's going to be wonderful! I can't wait to send out the invitations!"

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_February 13, 1990_

Generally, Phil had been the one to retrieve the mail when he came home in the evening, but Jeremy had taken on that responsibility the past few weeks. And quite frankly, he couldn't blame him - any day now, he could be getting a response as to whether or not he had been accepted to grad school.

So he strolled straight past the mailboxes, knowing his boyfriend had already retrieved the mail by now, making his way back to the apartment. He unlocked the front door and greeted Jeremy.

"Hello, hel-"

Phil fell silent as he realized Jeremy hadn't looked up at him, his mouth slightly agape and his slightly red eyes glued to the paper in his hands, other opened letters and envelopes placed next to him.

"... Jer?"

Jeremy didn't take his eyes off the paper, as he finally spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"... _I got in._ "

"YOU GOT IN?!" Phil exclaimed, holding his hand and the end of his arm to his head.

"I got in," Jeremy repeated, looking up at Phil, a smile spreading across his face. "I got in!"

He sprung up from the couch, pretty much with perfect timing, as Phil had thrown himself into Jeremy's arms the moment he was standing, wrapping his arms around his shoulders with a laugh as Jeremy held him and spun them around in a small circle.

"I love you, Jer, I'm so proud!" Phil congratulated. "I was worried earlier because you looked upset, but I guess those were tears of joy?"

"I, uh... I was a little upset..." Jeremy admitted sheepishly. "I didn't get accepted into the local university. But I _did_ get accepted into the Master's program at 'State. I know it's not as prestigious but... grad school! I actually got in!" **(2)**

Phil couldn't think of anything else to say... he just threw his arms around Jeremy with a grin and hugged him tight.

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_February 14, 1990_

One. Four. One.

Phil's eyes lingered on the red numbers on the alarm clock on the night stand, unable to fall asleep. He had always felt comfortable lying like this, Jeremy's arm draped over his waist and the gentle tickle of his breath against the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. It had been the perfect way to fall asleep for nearly two years now.

But now that the reality of the situation was sinking in after all the euphoria hours ago, the comfort was being washed away by pain. The other university was to the northwest, almost a two and a half hour drive away. Nights like this would be a thing of the past.

One. Four. Tw... three.

He remembered how they had come to agree that it would be better to use Phil's radio alarm to wake up in the morning, instead of the blaring beeping that came from Jeremy's alarm - just so that way nobody would get clocked in the jaw like on their first night together. It had probably been for the best, considering how Jeremy had reacted on that night with the thunderstorm... Phil had made it a habit to check the overnight forecast before bed, making sure there would be no storms overnight to upset Jeremy. And if there were any, he found that earplugs, a sleeping pill , and cuddling were the perfect combination to get Jeremy through the night. They kept the alarm set to the same time every morning - even if Phil had a day off from work, he'd still get up early after a stormy night to make sure Jeremy wouldn't sleep through the alarm with his earplugs.

But now... how was Jeremy going to sleep through the night if there was a storm? Who would make sure Jeremy woke up in time to grab breakfast before class? Who would exchange kisses and 'I love you's before they fell asleep at night?

_And who would be there to wipe away the tears?_ Phil thought, trying to smile as he felt his jaw grow rigid in reaction to the lump in his throat, his eyes starting to sting.

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_August 20, 1990_

"Hello, hello?"

" _Hey,_ " Jeremy replied on the other line.

"Hey. I, uh, I didn't call at a bad time, did I?" Phil asked nervously.

" _No, no, you're fine_ ," Jeremy reassured. _"How are you?"_

"I'm... just about the same," Phil chuckled slightly. "How about you? Today was your first day in class, right?"

" _Yeah_."

"How was it? You're taking a lot of evolution classes, right?"

" _Not really... Advanced Population Bio and Quantitative Methods are considered core courses... but I_ am _taking Advanced Evolution,_ " Jeremy recited.

Phil whistled, impressed.

_"How... uh... how is the job going?"_

"Eh, it's an office job, you know how it is. Kind of dull."

" _Oh._ "

"But, uh, it still pays pretty nicely!"

" _Good, good._ "

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

" _I was going to whip up some instant noodles. How about you?_ "

"Oh, no, I got scheduled for a late lunch today," Phil explained. "I'll probably zap some leftovers before bed, though."

They both fell silent, Phil looping the phone cord around his finger with a small frown.

"... _I miss you._ "

"I miss you too," Phil replied with a sad smile. "Just two weeks ago, we were watching _Wheel of Fortune_ and _Jeopardy!_ as we ate dinner..."

" _Yeah."_

Phil could hear the smile in Jeremy's voice, and his heart panged to see those chocolate brown eyes again.

"W-well, uh, I probably shouldn't keep you from dinner or studying. You're... you're doing okay with food, right?"

" _The stipend covered most of the expenses, and I've got a nice chunk of money to fall back on, just in case,"_ Jeremy reassured.

"But you'll let me know if you need help, right?"

" _I promise, as long as you promise to come visit over the Labor Day weekend._ "

"Cross my heart and everything," Phil promised. "Now have some dinner and wind down, okay?"

" _Okay. I just... I'm still kind of in shock - in a good way - that I'm really here. When I started college, I didn't think I would be good enough or have the passion for grad school. But your aunt gave me a new perspective, and you kept encouraging me... and so did Rachel and our friends. I can't help but wonder - if I had never applied for that job back in 1987, would I be as happy as I am right now with my education and my relationships?"_

"Aw, Jer..."

" _I know, I'm being sappy. I'll let you go. Make sure you eat before bed too, okay?"_

"Okay. Love you."

" _Love you too. See ya, Phil._ "

"Bye, Jeremy."

Phil hung up the phone, sighing softly. He walked over to the fridge and opened it - there was plenty of food for _one_ person... but after having enough food for two, it just felt so empty now. He closed the fridge, deciding to watch some television. The Persian Gulf Wars seemed to be the interest of all the local news channels, although one story came up about an impressively preserved _Tyrannosaurus rex_ that had been named "Sue". Phil grinned and looked over at -

Oh, right.

_Jeremy would've loved that story... although he'll probably get to hear about it this week anyway._

He leaned back against the couch cushions, flipping through the channels, nothing really catching his eye. He'd be watching a cheesy comedy until it went to a commercial break, and then find himself caught up in a private investigator drama show.

"That job back in 1987"... come to think of it, John was still on the run.

Phil huffed and changed the channel. Another hour passed, and he finally grew hungry. There was one serving left from the chicken tetrazzini he had prepared two nights ago. He could never figure out how long to leave it in the microwave to get it to heat to just the right temperature... looks like he'd be eating it lukewarm tonight.

After a long soak in the bathtub, Phil finally crawled into bed, a small lamp on the nightstand illuminating the room. Sometimes he and Jeremy would read a little before bed... but he wasn't really in the mood to read, he decided. He turned off the light and stretched out his arms and legs. Had their bed always been this big? Or was it just feeling empty after he had spoken to Jeremy only a few hours ago?

Phill huffed and reached over to the spot where Jeremy's pillows used to be. He was glad he had held on to that plush fox after all the years, he recalled with a smile, gently hugging it close.

It might not have been the same, but at least his arms didn't have to be empty.

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_October 7, 1991_

"You really shouldn't have come all the way out here," Jeremy scolded, though he was slow to sit up in bed.

"I called out sick, and I have four more days off before the year ends. It'll be fine," Phil dismissed, gathering Jeremy's belongings. "Someone's gotta give you a ride home from the hospital, after all!"

"First my arm, now my appendix... why do we always end up meeting at the hospital?" Jeremy muttered, though he smiled wryly.

"Speaking of hospitals... well, on a more positive note, anyway..." Phil commented with a smile. "Ronaldo sent me a very nice thank you card after his birthday, and he included a picture."

He removed a photo from his pocket and handed it to Jeremy - in it, Ronaldo and Sophia were smiling, an arm wrapped around each other. They looked almost the same as they had four years ago... except for Sophia, her cheeks rosier, and her figure rounder and larger.

"... She's due in January, if I recall correctly?" Jeremy asked, smiling warmly at the picture.

"Mmhmm!"

"Are they having a boy or girl?" Jeremy asked, handing the picture back to Phil.

"Don't know!" Phil shrugged. "Well, technically, Sophia knows because she could tell from the ultrasound. But Ronaldo wants it to be a surprise, so she's not telling anyone."

A nurse arrived with a wheelchair for Jeremy and escorted them out to the parking lot, where they got into Phil's Mercury Sable.

"... I'm predicting it's going to be a boy. What about you?" Phil inquired, as he started the car.

"Actually, I have a feeling they're going to have a girl," Jeremy predicted.

"Huh! How about that. Heather and Ronaldo are also predicting a boy," Phil commented. "Hey, where's the nearest Picnix? We should probably grab some food for you for the next few days..."

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"Oh my gosh," Jeremy murmured, a grin on his face as Phil touched the lighter to the wick of a candle. "A candle-lit bouillon dinner for two?"

"... Too corny?" Phil asked, his expression falling.

"No... well, maybe a little corny. But that's okay, I love it," Jeremy assured. "But tell me... why all this?"

Phil's smile picked up again as he took his seat across from Jeremy, reaching across the table to hold Jeremy's hand.

"I overheard my manager talking about some of the different cities our offices are located in. The thing is, some offices are smaller than others - which is to be expected, of course - but what I didn't expect was that one of those offices was located _here._ "

Jeremy's eyes widened, and he nodded with a smile for Phil to continue.

"Well... the local office - like, _here_ local - recently had quite a few members leave, and my manager mentioned they were looking to fill a few of the openings. So, I spoke with my manager and he spoke with the local manager... and I will be transferring to the area by the start of December."

"Really?" Jeremy asked with a grin, though his face fell. "Why would the other employees leave, though? If they're unhappy, what is that going to mean for you?"

"Jeremy, coming home every night just to see you would make me the happiest man alive," Phil assured, grinning at the blush that now colored Jeremy's cheeks. "I'll be okay, don't worry!"

Jeremy smiled once more, as he picked up his spoon to eat.

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_February 16, 1992_

"Gosh, you're just about the cutest thing I've ever seen," Phil whispered to the girl in his arms.

She didn't hear him, though, as she was fast asleep - that was typical for babies.

"Alright, Maria. Be a good girl for you mom, okay?" Phil commented softly, as Sophia gently lifted her out of Phil's arms. "Hard to believe it's been almost a month."

"Yeah... there's been a few sleepless nights here or there, but other than that, she's our little angel," Sophia remarked with a little smile, cradling her daughter in her arms.

"I wish we could've stayed a little longer... but I've got class tomorrow morning," Jeremy apologized.

"Don't apologize, it's okay. Just keep following your dreams - some of them take more work to pursue than others," Sophia assured. "Although, speaking of class... where's Ronaldo?"

"I'm here...!" Ronaldo called out, as he carried out a large cardboard package, placing it in Jeremy's arms. "There you go!"

"What's in here?" Jeremy asked, fumbling with the weight of the package.

Ronaldo and Sophia exchanged a glance.

"Your belated Christmas presents!" Sophia quickly exclaimed.

"But you gave us Christmas presents, remember? You gave us those cute scarves and that 'House Divided' welcome mat," Phil pointed out.

"Oh! Well, ah, actually... we intended to send a _second_ package, but we forgot to mail it, and we became so busy preparing for the baby by the start of January... that we just decided to give it to you now," Ronaldo explained. "Think of it as a Valentines' Day present!"

This time, Jeremy and Phil were the ones to exchange a glance.

"... Okay..." they slowly agreed in unison, as Jeremy went to place the box in the trunk.

"Hold her for a second?" Sophia asked Ronaldo, carefully switching Maria over to his arms.

Her arms free, Sophia stepped up to Phil and hugged him warmly, then embraced Jeremy.

"We really missed you guys... wish you could've had more time to visit than just one Sunday..."

"Yeah," Jeremy agreed, patting her back before they separated.

She took Maria back from Ronaldo, so he could exchange hugs with them as well.

"Drive safe, okay?" Sophia called out to them as they got into the car.

Maria did not care for yelling and started crying, Sophia trying to comfort her with a sheepish smile on her face. Jeremy and Phil waved farewell one last time before driving off.

As they finally pulled out onto the seemingly endless interstate, Phil turned down the radio to speak.

"Remember the day we all met? I think you were the last person to arrive at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza... and that same day, Ronaldo and Sophia got those little pocket dictionaries."

"Yeah," Jeremy agreed, briefly smiling at Phil. "And then they started dating about a week or two later, and the month after that, it was us."

"And nearly five years later... they're married and starting a family," Phil remarked, looking out the window.

Jeremy kept his eyes on the road, the only sound in his car coming from his thumbs nervously tapping against the steering wheel. The interstate stretched out to the horizon, cars racing past to the left, and an endless sea of trees towering over them to the right.

"It might be a few years before - "

"Jer, do you think we'll - "

They had both spoken simultaneously, causing them to chuckle awkwardly.

"Looks like we've both been thinking about it, huh?" Phil asked, a hint of sadness in his voice despite the smile on his face.

Jeremy nodded, glancing over at him briefly.

"Would it be... okay if we talked about this later?" Jeremy inquired, letting his hand rest atop Phil's. "I think it's kind of a serious matter, and it would probably be better if we sat down and talked about it at home. Maybe with a romantic candlelit dinner. But no bouillon this time, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Phil agreed with a laugh, adjusting his hand to hold Jeremy's.

When they finally arrived home, about to decide on what they wanted for dinner, a thought struck Jeremy.

"We left their present in the trunk!" he exclaimed, hurrying back out to get it, startling a stray cat that had been passing by.

"Wonder what they got us?" Phil asked, as Jeremy placed it down on the coffee table in their living room.

"I _think_ I heard something tap against glass in there," Jeremy commented, carefully tilting the box to listen for the sound, before grinning. "If they got me a few jars for specimens for the lab I'll be teaching in the fall, I'll be super happy."

"And it sounds like there's something rustling in there too... like the pieces to a jigsaw puzzle? I wonder what they got me?" Phil wondered, as Jeremy finally pulled the cardboard flaps open.

They peeked inside to see... a few jars of sweet gherkin pickles, a few cans of tuna, and an extra large box of colorful fruity cereal. Jeremy and Phil exchanged a look.

"Cravings," Phil chuckled with a laugh. "Well, at least you technically got your jars!"

"That's true," Jeremy remarked with a little smile, removing one of the cans of tuna from the box and stepping into the kitchen.

"What are you going to do with that? I thought we were debating between Picnix fried chicken or Chinese takeout," Phil commented.

"It's not for us," Jeremy replied, opening the can and heading back out the front door. "I just... kind of owe someone an apology."

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_August 7, 1992_

"... I'm just still in disbelief. Laid. Off," Phil muttered. "I guess I should've realized it when I heard from my old boss that there were more workers leaving this place that something was up. I didn't realize they were going to shut down the entire division in a little over six months. I was just so desperate to see Jeremy again that I... oh, god, what am I going to tell him?"

The gray and brown stray cat that typically meandered around their apartment bumped her head against Phil's hand, and he pet her a little more.

"You're right... he'll be upset, but he'll understand. I-I mean, I've got two more weeks, I have a fair amount of time to get a new job... in fact, I actually know a place in this city where I might stand a pretty good chance of getting a job, but..."

Phil hesitated, and the cat looked him right in the eyes, as though suspicious of his intents.

"I'll probably apply _only_ as a last resort... there's other places in the area, I'm sure I can find a different job locally, right?"

She gave him another headbutt of affirmation, and Phil smiled and gently scratched her behind one of her ears.

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_August 24, 1992_

It was funny how history had a way of repeating itself. No longer was Phil pulling on some sort of casual business attire... he was back to wearing a certain goldenrod polo.

Kind of hard to believe someone could apply for a spot in management, rather than being promoted internally, but he had claimed a spot on that golden throne once again. He had also been concerned about the fact that his father had handed off the position of CEO to Franco a few years ago, wondering if a manager would reach out to superiors - while he had never come out to his uncle about his relationship, the fact that Franco had become more and more distant over the years suggested that he had figured it out and "subtly" cut ties with him.

Both Jeremy and his father had asked if he would be okay, considering the bad memories of what had happened years prior, but he assured them both that he would be fine.

The only thing Phil had uncertainties about was the new manager, Gilbert. He had only been around for about a year, and he seemed very lax and carefree, almost to the point that he could be considered irresponsible. But the moment he had asked about how safe the night guards were - remembering the awful stuff Jeremy had gone through - Gilbert immediately turned defensive.

"Don't worry about that. I've been here longer, I take care of all security-related issues. Hiring, paperwork, _everything_. We can share responsibility for everything else, but I handle this stuff alone. Less work for you, right? Nothing to worry about."

On the contrary, it made him very worried. No, _wary_ as to what the manager had spoken about. Did the animatronics still have that glitch that made them want to stuff people into the suits? Or did the standards for hiring security rise in the past few years all thanks to John?

A few years ago, Phil might have told himself that "this wasn't his responsibility" and swept it under the rug - he had tried to dismiss a lot of trouble to protect the reputation of his father and the company at the time. But now?

It was time to take the secrets of the night shift out of the dark.

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_September 26, 1992_

"Phil! You're always right on time, aren't you?" Gilbert complimented. "Hey, listen, you've worked so hard the past few days, I was thinking... maybe you should take the day off!"

There was an uneasiness in his grin. Phil narrowed his eyes.

"What's the catch?"

"Just go home and have a nice long nap, because... uh..." Gilbert fidgeted slightly. "Our night guard? Ned Parke? He... called out sick for the night. And I'm definitely planning on maybe trying to ask some of our dayshift workers, but... technically management has to fill in when an employee is out, so... it's more than likely going to be you taking over the night shift. JUST until we hi... ave Ned feeling healthy again. But if he resigns, then, well... we might need you a little while until we can hire a new guy."

Phil let out a little sigh of resignation.

"O-okay," he agreed, Gilbert letting out a sigh of relief, only for it to be cut short. "But! Mr. Handles-the-Security, y-you have to let me in on all the details, okay? Uh, what _exactly_ do I have to do to make it through the night?"

"Well..." Gilbert hesitated. "Come with me, to the back. Manager's office kind of doubles as the security guard's station."

As they made their way down the hallway, Gilbert briefly slipped at the doorway, but caught himself against the doorframe.

"Watch your step," he warned, looking over his shoulder at Phil. "I... spilled some food earlier and had to, uh, clean the floor."

Phil's lips curled inward. He had noticed the smell of chemicals even before Gilbert had mentioned a spill, but the aroma was too strong to be anything commonly used to clean up food. Phil could feel a heavy sinking feeling in his stomach, and he was sure it wasn't just the smell of the room causing it.

Gilbert opened the top left drawer at the desk... then closed it, and opened the drawer on the top right, removing a casette tape that looked too small for a standard player.

"This is... all the information we basically have regarding security regulations," Gilbert admitted. "Rumor has it the higher-ups thought the old training videos were too out-dated, and going back to the audio tapes they did for the even older restaurants would save on production costs. So, haha, guess we don't get to see the old 'Face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza' like we used to."

"At least I know the 1984 tapes are gone for good," Phil managed to smile.

"What?"

"I-it's nothing. But honestly, this is everything the higher-ups had to offer? A casette? It doesn't even look like it would fit in a radio."

"That's because it doesn't, uh... technically, we were given a script and told to record the audio. And this was one of the locations that didn't get a tape recorder due to, uh, more budget cuts... so I kind of had to improvise and use a phone and answering machine."

Phil shook his head and took the tape from Gilbert's hand.

"I guess I'll head home and listen to this, then," Phil sighed.

As he walked out the door, he wasn't sure what to expect from listening to the tape at the apartment - safety tips? Probably a disclaimer about not being held liable for anything as well. He was worried about what to expect from the job, yes, but now...

He unlocked his car and got in, taking a deep breath. What concerned him now was how much Jeremy would worry.

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_September 27, 1992_

Despite the fact that the audio tape had turned out to be nothing more than legal disclaimers, and that he was now fairly drowsy, the first night had been a success! The sky was starting to turn light shades of violet as the sun came up, and Phil pulled his car into the parking lot outside the apartment.

Phil yawned, unlocking the front door and stepping inside, only to find the light in the dining room was already on. Jeremy had been sitting there quietly, elbows on the table and his forehead resting against his folded hands, but he sat up straight when he realized Phil was home.

"Phil!"

"Jeremy!"

They met each other halfway in an embrace, Jeremy's hold on him lingering as his fingers desperately clutched the security uniform Phil was wearing.

"You did great, I knew you could do it, I was just... I was still worried," Jeremy admitted, finally releasing his hold on Phil.

"Fortunately, I-I got started on a nice slow Sunday... sounds familiar, right?" Phil replied.

"I still think you should hold onto those extra batteries and take something caffeinated to work each night - not too strong, though, or you'll get jittery. And what about the music box, are you figuring out a routine?" Jeremy asked, growing concerned again.

"It's okay, hon, there's no flashlight o-or open hallways or air vents, none of that stuff. There's no music box either - the, uh, Puppet wasn't moved to this location as far as I'm aware, thank GOODNESS," he grinned, trying to help ease Jeremy's concerns. "I-I only have four animatronics to watch, and I have doors that can be mechanically closed."

"Oh! That's good!"

"... But I may bring a flashlight, just in case, because the office... runs on reserve power."

"So... what does that mean for the mechanical doors?" Jeremy inquired.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," Phil admitted, lowering his head.

"Oh, Phil..." Jeremy sighed, pulling him close once again.

"You weren't... you weren't up all night worrying about me, were you?" Phil asked, gently rubbing Jeremy's back, as he leaned his head against him.

"I got some sleep," Jeremy stated. "But I set my alarm for five forty-five to make sure you made it home okay."

The coffeemaker in the kitchen gurgled loudly, as though backing up what Jeremy had stated.

"I wonder if we should make a plan," Jeremy remarked. "Remember how you called me after my shift back then? Maybe we should do something like that again, like you could call the apartment before you head home, that way I'd know you made it through the night."

"But wouldn't that wake you up? Or what if you slept through it?"

"Then I'll wake up before six."

"Jeremy, you need to sleep too."

"Then I'll go to bed earlier," Jeremy compromised. "I just..."

He huffed, causing Phil to smile wryly.

"Now you know how I felt."

"Yeah," Jeremy admitted. "Would six fifteen be a fair time limit? Like... if you don't call by then, I'll go get help."

"I think it's a good start. I was able to clock out right on the dot, so maybe we'll give it a few weeks and if I'm getting out early, then we'll push it back to six ten?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jeremy agreed, then glanced in the kitchen. "Well, coffee's ready. I don't think you should have a cup... you'll probably want to head to bed in a few hours. But you're welcome to have some breakfast, read the paper, and watch the sunrise with me."

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend the morning," Phil commented, exchanging a quick kiss with Jeremy, before stepping into the dining room.

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_November 7, 1992_

"Hello, hello! Hey, wow... day four. I-I knew you could do it."

Then again, Phil thought he 'could do it' too. The previous Monday, Gilbert had left him a note stating that they were in the process of hiring a new night guard. No name or any other information had been given - Phil had been so relieved that he could go back to his day job... but just in case, he double-checked with Jeremy to make sure he wasn't going to be the one taking on the night shift.

This week, Gilbert had announced that they were going to hire the new guard after all, but needed Phil to finish up the week because he wasn't going to be able to start until Monday. So, taking into account Gilbert's "record the disclaimer on an answering machine" idea, Phil had taken it a step further and recorded a little bit of guidance and reassurance each night - almost like recording those training tapes all those years ago when the spring suits were in use.

"Uh... h-hey, listen... I-I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow. It's... it's been a bad night here for me. Um, I-I'm kind of glad I recorded my messages for you... uh, w-when I did."

Too bad his luck had run out on Saturday, the toughest night of the week, no less. He had wound up trying something bold and running from Foxy, since he was down to the last of his power.

... Now he was shaking in the cooler, trying to talk into the phone in the kitchen while remaining undetected at the same time. However, the banging on the door made it all too clear that the animatronics _knew._

"Uh, hey... maybe you could do me a favor? M-maybe sometime... you could check inside those suits backstage?"

... No, wait, the plan with Jeremy... he was so terrified right now he had almost forgotten it.

"I-I'm going to try to hold out... until someone checks. M-Maybe it won't be so bad..."

Yeah... even though he had been running low on power, it was about 5:44 a.m. that he had made his escape. In about fifteen minutes, the animatronics would go back to their resting places. If he put up a good fight, he might be able to buy himself some more time...

"I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads... back there... y-you know..."

The banging on the door had ceased as it was finally pulled open, leaving Phil face-to-face with Freddy and Chica. As if he was taunting him, Freddy even started playing the Toréador Song. Chica... oh God... what was _wrong_ with her? Some kind of noise, like a strangled breath, came from her.

"Oh no..."

Despite the phone still clenched against his shoulder and ear, Phil turned to run further back into the cooling room, to keep as much distance from the animatronics as possible. But the moment he had pivoted, garbled speech filled his ears. Phil closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to ignore the noise. When he opened them, he saw some kind of apparition in front of him... that original Fredbear suit, like a golden version of Freddy - and it _roared._

This wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, no, he could even hear it through the receiver of the phone. Somehow, this thing had just _warped_ into the room, and wasn't - it wasn't right - he flinched as it continued to roar, trying to back away from that... that _ghost_ or _something_.

Phil backed away from Golden Freddy, only to let out a yelp when he backed right into Freddy, who wrapped his arms around him, effectively immobilizing him. Phil wriggled around madly, trying to find some weak point in the mechanical grip.

"Jeremy, Mom, Dad, I love you...!" Phil cried out, only to realize - much to his despair - the receiver had already gone dead.

Those could have possibly been his final words... and nobody would ever hear them.

Still, he continued wriggling, struggling, trying to throw his body weight one way or the other, trying to kick Freddy in the legs, anything to slow him down.

But Freddy's mechanical grip remained as firm as a vice, his melody continuing to play as he triumphantly carried Phil through the dining area to the backstage area, where Bonnie was already awaiting them... as well as an empty Freddy costume on the table. Phil tried to struggle out of their grasps in mid-transition, but he lost his balance, giving Freddy an ample chance to properly grab him on his own once again.

"Don't do this!" Phil commanded, only for Freddy to shove him into the suit.

Or at least, Freddy _attempted_ to push him in. Phil managed to catch himself on his right arm, despite the fact that his sleeve was now shredded and he could definitely feel a few nicks and scratches thanks to all the animatronic parts. Clutching the opening of the suit with his hand, Phil attempted to pull himself out. Freddy tried pushing him back down, feeling the animatronic parts poking against his arm a lot more firmly - one jagged piece of metal tracing a shallow gash down his arm - but Phil continued trying to resist. He heard Bonnie move and for a moment he tried going stiff, hoping they would think he was a properly installed endoskeleton and they would leave him be, he just had to remain quiet -

Phil screamed as they both shoved him down, some sort of metal part puncturing straight into his arm to the point that he could feel it skewer through to the other side, and about a dozen others stabbing or slicing it up further, accompanied by the warm and wet feeling of blood cascading down his arm. He was in so much shock from the pain that he hadn't even realized that at least his arm had cushioned the rest of his body, preventing his organs from suffering a similar fate.

He felt an animatronic hand clench the hair at the back of his head and he started thrashing madly, his breathing mixed between rapid wheezing and sobbing - not the face, not the face, God FORBID he got his eyes stabbed out...!

The arm pulled back, and what tiny bit of rational thinking he had left cautioned him to brace himself for whatever was about to happen to his face... but he did not move. In fact, a few seconds later, the hand released him and he fell forward naturally - into the suit, yes, but not with enough force to actually hurt himself.

The night... he had made it through the night...

'Get up', he kept telling himself in the back of his mind. But he didn't have the strength to move, the pain and blood loss keeping him in place. So he was just going to bleed out here?

Well, wasn't that great? Tears started leaking down Phil's face. Not like this... it couldn't end like this...

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It wasn't supposed to be this way... not like this...

Phil usually called in right on the dot at 6 a.m., though on the more serious nights he was sometimes a little bit later - that was understandable, he would've probably needed a few minutes to compose himself.

But no, the last Saturday Phil had to serve as a night guard... it would serve to be the first night that the clock finally hit six fifteen without a phone call.

Jeremy took in a deep breath and picked up the phone in the kitchen.

"Hello, 9-1-1? We need medical assistance. Not here, a-at a different location. My... my roommate and I had a routine in case he got hurt at his job, he's a security guard..."

After answering several questions, Jeremy stayed on the line until the dispatcher confirmed that there was help on the way.

But there was one more call he had to make.

The phone rang several times - Jeremy was starting to wonder if they had slept through it - but finally a groggy voice spoke on the other end.

" _... llo hello...?_ "

All it took was that familiar voice, and the adrenaline finally started to wear off.

"Phil's hurt." Jeremy whispered.

" _Phillip?"_ Federico's voice was suddenly a lot more clear. " _Jeremy, is that you?"_

"He's hurt... I couldn't... I'm sorry..." Jeremy choked out, his knees starting to buckle, leaning against the wall.

" _Are you two okay? Did something happen?!_ " Federico's tone was becoming more and more concerned.

His head spinning and stomach churning, the phone dropped from Jeremy's grasp, Federico still pleading for answers, as the after-effects of adrenaline left him retching in the nearby trash bin.

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Though his vision blurred, the color white faded into Phil's vision.

_Beep._

No, not white... he was... looking up at the ceiling...

_Beep._

_I'm awake...?_

_Beep._

_No... not just that... I'm alive..._

"Phil-"

A familiar voice to the right caught his attention and he turned his head, a weak smile on his face as he greeted his distraught visitors.

"Dad...! Mom...!" Phil croaked.

"Phillip! Oh, we've been so worried..." Federico sighed, doing his best to smile, despite constantly wringing his hands.

"How are you feeling?" Yoko asked.

"Woozy... a-and my head hurts..." Phil groaned, placing his hand to his forehead. "Where's... Jeremy?"

"He's here, he just stepped out to get something to eat," Federico explained, smiling a little wider. "I suppose I should say, I _made_ him step out to get something to eat. When that boy called on the phone, he was worried sick... ahem, no pun intended. And when we got to the hospital to check on you, he was standing outside the OR, paler than snow. I tried to tell him he should get something to eat, but he said he wasn't leaving until he was sure you had made it through surgery okay."

"Surgery...?" Phil asked. "For my ar-"

He fell silent as he looked down and realized that he no longer _had_ a right arm, it had been amputated right about where his elbow would've ended.

"I knew... it hurt a lot, but _fuck_..." Phil muttered, before casting a quick glance up at his parents. "... Sorry."

"No, we're sorry," Federico apologized. "We spoke with the doctors briefly, and they said that based on the state your arm was in, we could either keep it and risk serious infection or remove it and greatly improve your odds... while it was ultimately our decision, we did ask Jeremy for feedback, and he agreed that we should go forward with the procedure."

"Oh... yeah... I think you made the right choice..." Phil mumbled. "Can Jeremy come in now...?"

"He'll probably be back after he gets something to eat," Yoko reminded him.

"We remembered what happened when Jeremy got hurt, and how worried you were... so we made it clear very early that Jeremy was allowed to visit you."

"Like that," Yoko joked, as the door opened.

"Phil," Jeremy whispered, covering his mouth with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes as he made his way over to Phil's side.

"Why do we always end up... meeting in the hospital?" Phil asked with a smile, as Jeremy leaned down to give him a soft kiss on his forehead, trying his best not to cry. "I-I'm okay, Jer... I'm okay."

Yoko placed a gentle hand on Federico's shoulder.

"I think we should give them some time alone," she remarked softly to her husband.

"I think you're right," Federico agreed, before raising his voice. "We're going to step out and grab some dinner... we'll probably be back in half an hour."

"Dinner, huh...?" Phil asked, as the door closed behind them. "Have I been out that long?"

Jeremy nodded.

"I was so worried... I almost jumped into 'rescue mode' and went to the pizzeria myself," Jeremy confessed. "I can't help but wonder... what if I had gone? What if, as a result, you had gotten help sooner?"

"Jeremy, i-it's okay," Phil reassured, reaching over to hold his hand. "The door was locked... you would've had to break in. That wouldn't look very good when you apply for your doctorate."

"Not just apply... I'm going to get it," Jeremy vowed, taking Phil's hand in both of his. "I'll make you proud, I promise."

"I've always been proud of you, Jer."

"Then I'll make you even prouder," Jeremy promised with a grin, awkwardly trying to wipe his cheek with his sleeve.

"Just don't push yourself too hard, okay, Dr. Fitzgerald?" Phil asked teasingly, sitting up.

Except not really. Without an arm to prop himself up on, he sort of squirmed awkwardly, trying to muster up the upper body strength to sit up. Jeremy pressed the button on the side of the bed, mechanically allowing Phil to sit up instead.

"We'll worry about my doctorate at a later time. Although, I do like the sound of that. 'Dr. Fitzgerald'. Heheh," Jeremy commented. "For now, let's focus on helping you feel better. I spoke with your father about a couple of things, and one thing we talked about was helping you get through the next week with some physical therapy and counseling."

"'One thing'?" Phil asked, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, what else did you guys talk about?"

"Just small talk and a few other things - but _that's_ a surprise," Jeremy remarked with a wink. "... Don't worry, I think you'll like it."

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_November 13, 1992_

Phil turned the brochure in his hand, switching between staring at the front of the brochure and the back.

_Prosthetics: Frequently Asked Questions_

While he was scheduled to go home on Sunday, he was scheduled to come back to the hospital a week from tomorrow, to look at getting fitted for a prosthetic limb. Part of him was looking forward to being able to function much better - he had already been discussing potential career paths he could take with an occupational therapist he had spoken with on Tuesday. The other part of him was worried about all the steps he would have to take to care for his arm to avoid his skin becoming irritated, or his stump becoming too swollen to fit, or even worrying about if it was just going to be a constant reminder of what had happened.

There was a knock at the door, and Phil set the brochure aside on the night stand.

"Come in!" he called out.

Jeremy, with a small bouquet of flowers in one hand, opened the door with his free hand and held it open, allowing an African American man in a wheelchair to wheel into the room - he looked like he was roughly the same age as them, maybe only a year or two younger.

"... Heeey..." he greeted quietly, half-yawning, finally parking near the foot of the bed. "I'm sorry... I work a job at night."

Before Phil could open his mouth, Rachel came hurrying into the room, reaching out for a hug from Phil, which was welcomed.

"Phil! Oh, when Jeremy told me what happened... I was so worried..." she pulled back to look at him, managing a smile. "It's good to see you again, though."

"'Hello, hello' to you too, Rachel, it's good - "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. What did you just say?" the stranger in the room cut in, holding up a hand.

"I-I was going to say 'it's good to see you too'," Phil stated, worriedly looking across the room at him.

"No, before that. You said 'hello' twice," he pointed out.

"Oh, uh, i-it's something that kind of runs in the family. There's a-actually, uh, a pretty cute story behind it," Phil remarked, shrugging sheepishly.

"Mike, what's going on?" Rachel asked.

He cast a quick glance down at Phil's stump, then back up at him.

"Did you... did you work at a place called 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza'?" Mike asked quietly.

Phil's eyes went wide.

"I thought your voice sounded familiar. Not to mention, you kept saying 'hello, hello' at the start of all your tapes," Mike said.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" Now it was Rachel cutting in. "Mike, you're working at the same place Phil did?!"

"Look, after I heard the tape about how bad things were on the first night, I told Gilbert the next morning I wanted to quit! Honest!" Mike defended. "But this dude is like 'no you gotta stay two weeks so we can hire again' and it's like shit, the animatronics don't go outside! Why the hell do they even need us around? Are we like human sacrifices or something?"

He took in a deep breath.

"Sorry. Guess I'm a little cranky. I didn't even introduce myself," he wheeled over to Phil's side, Jeremy and Rachel stepping to the side to let him through, as he extended a hand to shake. "Name's Mike Schmidt."

Halfway through their handshake, Phil's eyes went wide.

"Wait, THE Mike Schmidt? You used to play football here!" Phil gasped.

"Yeah, are you a State fan?"

"Uhh... actually, quite the opposite," Phil replied, trying to smile despite visibly cringing.

Mike couldn't help but laugh.

"Freshman year, when we played you guys back in eighty-nine... I was begging the coach to put me in, he had seen how well I had done in the games prior, but the score was too close and he trusted the older players a little more. He promised me that next year, though, I was going to be the star player. 'First sophomore to ever win the Heisman, Mike, that's gonna be you', the coach said," Mike smiled wistfully, looking down at his legs. "... Halfway through sophomore year, I took a nasty hit... and I never set foot on the field again. I don't like Saturdays as much as I used to."

"They're not much better at the pizzeria," Phil pointed out, frowning. "Those are the toughest nights."

"Oh, hell no," Mike muttered, pounding a fist on the armrest of his wheelchair. "You know what? Fuck it. I'm going to work early tonight. And I'm bringing my toolbox or something, cause I'm going to unscrew those legs from those robots and leave em wobbling and flopping around like... fish made of Jell-O or something."

"Mike!" Rachel scolded. "If you tamper with them, you're bound to get..."

A look of realization flashed across her face.

"You know, Mike, I don't think we have a toolkit at the apartment. Why don't we swing by the local hardware store before we head home?"

"Sounds great, baby, but we might need to leave a little early so I got time to sleep," Mike remarked, looking back at Phil. "Hey. Tomorrow's Saturday. Would you mind if we came by tomorrow and we found a game or two to watch on TV?"

"S-Sure, sounds fun!" Phil replied, half-surprised by Mike's change in demeanor.

"Great. I will _definitely_ see you then," Mike replied with a grin.

"I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Phil!" Rachel added, leaving with Mike, closing the door behind them.

Jeremy looked at the bouquet in his hands.

"... Right, so I was going to say that I brought Rachel and her boyfriend to visit for a few hours, and they even bought you some flowers," Jeremy shook his head with a smile, placing the bouquet on the nightstand. "This afternoon... did not turn out like I expected."

Phil admired the bouquet of flowers - a bright assortment of white and yellow daisies and yellow roses.

"That's okay... sometimes the things that make us the happiest aren't what we expected."

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_November 15, 1992_

"It's nice to be back," Phil remarked, as Jeremy parked the Escort.

"It's nice to have you back," Jeremy agreed, getting out of the car.

He went to the trunk, collecting the bags Phil had brought back from the hospital. Phil stepped beside him, lifting one of the suitcases out of the trunk.

"You got it?" Jeremy asked cautiously.

"I'm good, don't worry," Phil reassured, lifting the suitcase up and down, as though it were a weight training exercise. "I'm a natural lefty, after all! And it's not that heavy... though I'm sure the physical therapist will, uh, probably start recommending strength exercises when she visits on Wednesday."

"That reminds me... I was planning to stop by the library tomorrow to do a little studying... maybe on my way out, I could see if they have any videos I could rent for you? Or I could check out some books?" Jeremy offered, removing the key to their apartment from his pocket as they walked up to the door. "By the way... you might want to, uh, watch your step when you come in."

Phil gave Jeremy a confused look, to which he merely grinned in response, unlocking and opening the door. Phil gasped as Jeremy stepped into the apartment, making kissing noises... and the sound of a tiny bell jingling drew close.

"No way," Phil breathed, setting the suitcase down inside, closing the door behind him. "No _way!_ "

Jeremy laughed, also briefly setting the bags to the side, to get down on his knees as a familiar gray and brown cat approached him, rubbing up against his hands as he tried to pet her. Only this time, she was wearing a blue collar.

Phil got down on his knees next to Jeremy, reaching out his hand for the cat to nuzzle against, just like old times.

"So... remember when I said I had chatted with your dad about 'a couple of things'? One thing I was worried about was leaving you alone at home, since I'd be in class for most of the day, and I said I was going to pick up a little bit of cat food the next time I went grocery shopping, in the hopes that she would hang out around the apartment a little more."

Jeremy chuckled briefly, shaking his head, before continuing.

"And your dad just flat out offered to pay the security deposit and buy some supplies to get us started. So... the two of us went out shopping for pet supplies the day after you woke up, lured her with some cat food, took her to a local clinic to get her spayed and vaccinated, went back to the apartment to speak with the landlord about the deposit... and just like that, we have a cat."

The cat jumped back briefly, as Phil suddenly reached over to embrace Jeremy. He hugged him back, laughing.

"We have a _cat_?!" Phil asked, still in disbelief, pulling out of the hug.

"We have a cat!" Jeremy confirmed.

"Sorry we spooked you, it's okay... uh..." Phil apologized to the cat, beckoning her over for more petting. "... What's her name?"

"I've just been calling her 'Kitty'. I thought you should have the honors of naming her," Jeremy stated.

Phil appeared to think it over for a moment, before he burst into little giggles that made Jeremy's heart skip a beat.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"Welcome to the family," Phil said to the cat, trying to stifle his giggles, gently scratching under her chin. "... CLAW-dia."

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With the lights off, Jeremy slowly crossed the floor to the bed, crawling in next to Phil.

"As nice as it was seeing you first thing in the morning, I've missed being able to sleep curled up close like this," Jeremy confided in Phil, reaching his arm over to pull him in closer.

As Jeremy pressed a soft kiss to his brow, Phil felt where Jeremy's arm rested against his side. Normally, he wouldn't have been so conscious about it, if it weren't for the fact that over two weeks ago, his arm _wouldn't_ have rested against his side, it would've rested against his arm, at least where it was supposed to be. Phil's lips curled in, suddenly becoming incredibly uncomfortable, as Jeremy blindly kissed his cheekbone in the dark.

A sad meow outside the bedroom door caught Jeremy's attention.

"Claudia, no," Jeremy ordered.

She meowed again.

"Maybe, uh, if I put out one of her quieter toys, that'll distract her," Phil suggested, removing himself from Jeremy's arms.

"Nah, you stay here," Jeremy said, getting out of bed. "I'll find something for her."

Phil let out a tiny sigh of relief as Jeremy stepped out of their room, the light in the living room peeking through the gap under the door. He could hear Jeremy faintly rummaging for something, before everything went quiet again and the lights were turned off once more.

Jeremy made his way back into the bed.

"Sorry about that, where were we...?" Jeremy asked, gently reaching his hand out.

"Hey, uh, Jer... it's been kind of a long day, a-and I'm really tired... do you think we could save the mushy cuddling for a different night?" Phil asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, that's okay," Jeremy assured, withdrawing his hand. "Sorry about that. You go ahead and get some rest. I love you."

"Love you too," Phil replied, closing his eyes.

Another time, he'd be completely honest. But it _had_ been a fairly long day, and he was pretty tired... maybe after some sleep, he'd be able to talk about it.

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_August 23, 1993_

After coming home from work and grabbing a can of cola from the fridge, Phil plopped down onto the sofa in the living room. After a week, it finally felt like he and Jeremy had completely settled into their new apartment.

Or could one call it their _old_ apartment, in a sense? They were, after all, now staying at the same complex they had lived at when Jeremy had attended community college. Only this time, he wasn't in community college. No, if Jeremy had been "excited" about getting his Master at State, then "extremely exhilerated" would have been the way to describe Jeremy's reaction to the news that he had been accepted into the doctorate program at the most prestigious public university in the state - the same one Phil had attended all those years ago.

Phil had also come a long way, both physically and mentally. His left arm had gotten stronger, and in all honesty, he didn't really use his prosthetic arm all that much - he was going to start working as a receptionist next week, and it would really only serve to help him carry stacks of paperwork every so often. He was also finally adjusting to his new body image, which had been a big help. Not only for his self-esteem, but the fact that cuddling - or more - with Jeremy at night sometimes felt like the right way to end the day.

Six years now, they had been together... and they had made so many memories during that time. Pictures from friends and family adorned one of the walls of their apartment - Heather, the Sanchez family, Phil's parents, and even some pictures from Mike and Rachel's wedding. They were probably close to the end of their honeymoon in Italy right now... Phil smiled a little brighter, remembering how eagerly Jeremy had gone over common Italian phrases with them... and chuckled over the fact that Jeremy's memory of the words he had learned all those years ago had kind of faded away, and Rachel had left for Italy saying things like "preggo" and "gratsy".

_Ti amo_ and _bacciami_ , though... Jeremy remembered those very clearly.

Claudia jumped up onto the coffee table, and Phil gently scooped her up with his arm and placed her on the couch next to him, not wanting to risk his cola getting tipped over. She was the reason the pictures were hanging on the wall, rather than sitting out as picture frames on tables, as she had a habit - or possibly a hobby - of knocking things over.

Speaking of which, someone knocked on the door. Claudia wasn't startled, she merely turned her ears toward the sound. She knew.

Phil got up and opened the door, letting Jeremy - a thick textbook clutched against his side with one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other - step inside.

"First we're always meeting in hospitals..." Phil shook his head with a laugh, closing the door behind Jeremy. "... and now you're always bringing me flowers."

Jeremy beamed at him, leaning down slightly to give him a kiss.

"How was your first day?" Phil asked, taking the bouquet from him.

"I... I really like it here," Jeremy marveled, setting his textbook down on the coffee table. "I mean, the community college was nice too... but that was my first time ever setting foot on campus. And it was..."

"I-it's really big, huh?"

"Yeah," Jeremy affirmed with a little chuckle. "But... gosh, I don't know! It was just... really nice? I don't even know how else to describe it. It's pretty, my courses seem much more interesting, and the people are really friendly!"

"Yup! I loved it there," Phil agreed, grinning. "I take it you made friends with your classmates rather easily?"

"Yeah, there's Bryan and Daryl in Ethics in Genetics, and Maggie in Advanced Genetics. And I kind of made a friend randomly walking around campus?" Jeremy shrugged. "I was looking for someplace to buy lunch, and this guy named Aaron told me how to get to a small sandwich stop on campus. Even gave me some pointers about things to try in the area, both on and off campus. He seems to know the place really well."

"Hah! No kidding? I met a guy named Aaron in my freshman year who was the exact same way!"

"Really?! Huh. Anyway, he told me how the museum - you remember the one, with the butterfly garden? They're offering a discount on admission next week, including free admission for students," Jeremy watched as Phil set the flowers into a vase (although looking worriedly over at Claudia). "It made me remember when we went to the museum back then... and it kind of inspired me to get you those flowers."

Phil's eyes lingered on the flowers... rather than admiring them, he now seemed to be deep in thought.

"Phil?"

"Hey, Jer... do you remember when Rachel came to The Wizard's Brew?"

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_August 21, 1995_

Phil polished the counter one more time - it may not have been a perfect mirror image, but he could see the red color of his bowtie glinting off the wood.

After a lot of saving by him and Jeremy, investments from their friends and family, and a loan from a bank to cover the rest, The Mellow Morpho was finally open for business.

It was actually a rather bittersweet feeling for him - after all, this building was the same one that had once housed The Wizard's Brew. It had undergone some renovations - larger windows to let in more sunlight, and not to mention all the plants and flowers everywhere. The ceiling had been repainted as well - instead of the night sky, it was now a bright sunny blue in contrast. The tables near the windows had the best view of their own miniature butterfly garden, where milkweed, phlox, Mexican sunflowers, pentas, asters, and a variety of other colorful flowers drew in equally colorful butterflies.

There were three other employees in the store, all of them undergraduates who had evening classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It was very possible they were going to start out understaffed, but at the same time, they weren't expecting a flood of business the first few weeks starting out.

Lily was a graphic design student, who had been hired as a cashier. In exchange for fewer cleaning duties, she was assigned to primarily take care of the plants. When asked if it was because of her name, Phil had sheepishly admitted it was so. She had just turned her attention from spritzing water onto some tiny succulents adorning a windowsill when she spotted a car turning into the parking lot.

"Someone's pulling up!" she exclaimed.

Tom, one of the waiters and a fine arts major specializing in animation, hurried over beside her, looking out front.

"Looks like we got a party of four," Tom remarked, looking back at Phil.

"Did they arrive in a Ford Escort?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, then that's probably my roommate," Phil commented, trying to hide his excitement. "He said he would try to bring his friends by after class."

"Would you like me to wait on them, or should someone else...?" Charlie asked him.

"You go ahead and take them, Charlie," Phil assured. "Then Tom can handle the next party, and if we find things getting hectic, Lily and I can step in as well."

Charlie opened the door for the guests - sure enough, Jeremy walked in, along with Bryan and a girl Phil hadn't met yet. Phil managed to exchange a subtle smile with Jeremy as Charlie led the three of them to a table in the restaurant. Charlie came back to Phil a moment later with their orders - blackberry lemonade, cherry limeade, and sweet tea.

It was definitely rather tedious - he basically had to go one drink at a time. But he was careful to blend them and craft them to the best of his ability - making sure the blackberry juice was blended in nicely with the lemonade, but not to the point that the color was too distorted, and distributing the berries neatly in the glass. As Phil mixed their drinks, every so often he cast a glance to their table. They didn't appear to be talking too much; in fact, based on the presence of their notebooks, the only talking they were doing seemed to be discussing notes.

He placed all of the drinks on a tray and called Charlie back over, walking with him to deliver the drinks. Charlie may have been the one carrying the tray, but Phil at least wanted to be there to see the reaction of his first customers to the drink selection.

"... hope the drinks are as good as they used to be at The Wizard's Brew. This place is pretty gay," Brian scoffed, as Phil and Charlie walked up behind them.

The girl with them tried not to snicker, and Jeremy merely shrugged with a forced grin.

"Uh, hello, h-hello!" Phil greeted, forcing a smile of his own. "Y-you guys are actually my first customers, so I thought I'd, uh, make sure the drinks are okay."

"I'm sure they're great, Phil," Jeremy reassured, as Charlie placed the cherry limeade in front of him. "Thank you."

The girl had already taken a sip from her blackberry lemonade, and her eyes went wide.

"Mmm! Oh, this is really good," she commented. "This would be a great place to study. We should come here again, Bryan."

"Oh, y-yeah, Joy!" he agreed awkwardly, taking a sip of tea. "Whoa, this _is_ good."

"Phil got his bachelor's degree here, and he visited the museum when the butterfly garden was having one of those free visits, and he was a big fan of The Wizard's Brew... so for a long time, he dreamed of opening a little cafe and gardening shop," Jeremy explained.

Phil stepped away to stand behind the counter again, almost out of earshot, when he overheard the girl.

"That's a great idea, Jeremy! We should totally invite everyone in the doctorate program to check this place out. Hey, who knows, if it gets popular enough, maybe they'll start giving out student discounts...!"

Phil let out a little sigh of relief - hopefully word would start spreading soon, and they would have enough customers to make a profit in their first month.

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_July 19, 1997_

"Ten years," Phil marveled, shaking his head. "It has actually been ten years."

Summers were slow enough to the point that The Mellow Morpho could close over the weekend. And technically, it was, but... Phil had decided to open it up with "reservations for a special event". It was only him, Jeremy, and his parents at the cafe. There was a TV set up, where Yoko and Jeremy were watching a movie.

"You've done great," Federico complimented, pausing to take a sip of lemonade. "You both have."

"Thanks, Dad," Phil replied with a smile, before looking out the window. "It makes me wonder how everyone else has been..."

Heather had contacted them back in May, extremely excited about the fact that George had somehow been able to reconnect with Pat. And considering that she had been in touch with not only George, but also Fritz, it felt like it was only natural that a reunion would be in order. Ronaldo and Sophia had agreed to come, as well as Phil's parents. An invitation was extended to Rachel and Mike as well, but they had to decline, as Mike was spending the summer on tour, delivering motivational speeches around the country.

Much like Heather had been the initiator, she was the first to arrive, with Fritz as her passenger.

"Jer, they're here!" Phil called out, hurrying out the front door. "Heather!"

She had had a big grin on her face, though it disappeared for a moment, as she stepped back. But Heather smiled again and ran up to Phil, hugging him close.

"Phil! Hey, it's great to see you! It's been, what, five years? Six?" she pulled back and gestured to Fritz. "And you remember Fritz, of course."

"Hey."

"Hey," Phil replied, then turned back to Heather. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool! I just... I don't know, how do I put this?" she scratched the back of her head absentmindedly, keeping her voice quiet. "I remember you guys contacted me after... the accident at Freddy's, so I was expecting you to look different, but hearing about you and seeing you are two different things. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Phil reassured. "All we really did was talk on the phone a few times and exchange cards during the holidays... of course you didn't know what to expect."

"And you're okay?"

"It's been rough at some points, but otherwise, definitely," Phil confirmed, glancing over as Jeremy approached Fritz to shake hands and chat.

"And it's good ol' Jeremy! What's up?" Heather exclaimed, turning to hug him as well. "How's the doctorate going?"

"You know what they say, 'slow and steady'," Jeremy replied, shrugging, before hugging her in return.

As they embraced, he looked over her shoulder, noticing an unfamiliar car pulling up in the parking lot. A customer? No, the door on the driver's side was practically kicked open in joy (fortunately, there was no car to the immediate left), and the driver sprang out with equal excitement.

"Pat!" Jeremy gasped.

"Jeremy!"

He ran to exchange a hug with his former roommate.

"It's been too long!" Pat exclaimed, squeezing him a little tighter. "Oh, MAN, what's been going on with you?"

"Yo!" Heather called out to them. "You guys wanna take this inside? It'd probably be a little cooler..."

"Yeah!" Phil agreed, pointing to another car pulling into the parking lot. "Because I think the kids would be comfier in there!"

"Kids?" Pat asked.

"Yeah, you remember Ronaldo and Sophia? You met them briefly when I was in the hospital back in college. They're married with kids now," Jeremy remarked, grinning. "Come on in, we were watching movies earlier, but chatting with everyone would be way more fun."

Everyone stepped back inside the Mellow Morpho, brief greetings and hugs exchanged with Ronaldo and Sophia as well as their children - Maria, who was looking forward to starting kindergarten in the fall, and Lucas, who was nearly two years old and preferred to cling to his mother's leg.

"Are these your friends, Phillip?" Federico asked, as everyone entered.

"Yeah!" Phil replied, looking back at them. "Uh, everyone, these are my parents."

"Federico, right?" Heather asked, shaking hands with him.

"Yes," he replied, rather surprised. "How did you know?"

"The 1984 tapes," she replied with a grin, Phil rolling his eyes behind her.

"Five, or even ten years, is a very long time..." Yoko remarked. "Maybe everyone should have a moment to share their stories?"

"Wait a second, Mom, not _everyone's_ here yet," Phil pointed out. "How about I, uh, go prepare some drinks to give George a little more time?"

She nodded in agreement, and Phil departed to the kitchen to prepare some tea and lemonade.

"Who's George?" Maria asked, looking up at Sophia.

"He's a friend of ours. He's kind of clumsy, a little dull, and sometimes a lazy bones, but he has a good heart," Heather shook her head with a sad smile. "I've technically been in touch with him, but we never really managed to make contact for the past two years. We'd just leave each other messages on the answering machine. The last time I truly spoke with him, he was gaga over some girl. But now he's never available when I try to call in the evening, especially on Fridays. Makes me worried that they broke up, and now he's drink..."

Her voice trailed off as she noticed Sophia and Ronaldo shaking their heads violently.

"... ing so much orange juice that he's always using the bathroom! O-or he gets so many canker sores that it hurts to talk! Yikes! Poor George! Ha... ha..."

"He might've just missed a turn, and will be here soon," Ronaldo pointed out.

"Yeah, that might be true too," Heather admitted.

"Is that him?" Pat asked, pointing out the window at a car that pulled up.

Phil had just finished adorning the glasses with lemon wedges, when Heather's voice cut through the air.

"PHIL, GEORGE'S HERE!"

Phil darted from the kitchen, back into the main area of the cafe, and found himself staring agape at their final guest.

... Or rather, guest _s_.

"Sorry I'm late," George apologized. "Had to make a pit stop for a diaper change."

"... George?" Sophia asked.

"Senior," he replied with a playful smirk. "And this is Junior."

He swung his hips slightly, allowing him to adjust his one-armed hold on the toddler resting against his hip, his other arm supporting a baby bag slung over one shoulder.

"Should I, uh, sit down somewhere?"

"Sure, go take a seat with everyone," Federico invited, getting up. "Phillip, let me help you serve the drinks, okay?"

They passed out a variety of lemonade and tea to everyone, before Phil and Federico took a seat with everyone around four tables lined up to serve as one.

"Okay, so, we were all just going to kind of exchange stories about what happened to ourselves the past few years," Heather explained. "And considering you've been pretty much unreachable for the past two years, you DEFINITELY have to go first, George."

"Whoa! Uh, okay," George looked around at everyone at the table awkwardly. "Uh, are there high chairs in here? Or could someone hold the little dude for me while I talk?"

"Here, I got him," Sophia remarked, gently lifting the toddler from George's lap, only for Phil to come hurrying back over, dragging one of the Mellow Morpho's wooden high chairs with him. "Oh, okay, that works too."

George stood up and spoke.

"Alright, so... uh, for those who don't know, I'm George Thornton. Like a lot of you guys, uh, I also worked at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza back in 1987. I supervised the game rooms... though, I sometimes tended to do my job by playing the arcade games... or tripping over loose wires. I wasn't really taking anything seriously back then, including school... at least, until I almost lost my..." George's voice trailed off as his eyes went wide. "Dude, whatever happened with... you know..."

Despite all the excited chatter and smiles earlier, the cafe had become silent and stone-faced.

"... With John?" Phil finally asked quietly, finishing George's sentence.

He merely nodded, as the attention briefly turned to Phil.

"We..." Phil let out a heavy sigh. "We never found him. I guess, on the one hand, the good news is there were never any cases of... uh..."

He looked at Maria, Lucas, and George Jr. hesitantly.

"Basically, he never hurt anyone again. But the police never found him," Phil explained. "So the theory is, he... ended it. And that's why he's not out doing bad things."

"Ended what?" Maria asked.

"He ended his ways of hurting people," Sophia tried to explain.

"By saying sorry?"

She gently stroked Maria's hair.

"No, he had to _do_ something, rather than say something. But we'll talk about it at a later time, maybe when you're a little older. It's one of those 'grown-up' things, but it's also serious... and we came here to be happy and not to be serious, remember?"

"Okay."

"George, why don't you continue with the story?" Ronaldo commented, trying to change the subject.

"Anyway, I decided I needed to buckle down... but, uh, my education was pretty much doomed by that point. I wasn't going to pass, so I... I dropped out of college halfway through my senior year. I lived in a car and made a living washing dishes, until I made some friends at the restaurant and wound up crashing at their places from time to time. I rotated around from apartment to apartment, until..." he smiled sheepishly. "Until I met this girl... Ruth..."

George had to take a moment to compose himself.

"We started dating, and then the year after that, she let me move in with her... I was totally in love. And I know, everyone called me clumsy and dumb for a reason... because sure enough, about two years ago, we realized we were going to have a kid. And that was the moment that I shifted into overdrive. I got a better job, I checked out all kinds of books on the library on caring for babies and pregnant women, I did everything I could to make sure that Ruth had enough to eat and was getting plenty of rest..." he swallowed. "But despite everything... she didn't make it. She had always seemed a little bit frail, constantly sick throughout the winter... but George Jr. - that was what she wanted to call him if we had a boy - he was as healthy as could be. And like I had tried with Ruth, I was going to do everything in my power to keep it that way. So, in addition to my day job, I went back to washing dishes at night, so I could afford the costs of child care. Except for Fridays... there were always a few little bookstores or restaurants around town that would ask for talent to perform for the customers... so I sometimes read poetry or tried stand-up comedy to try to get some extra tips. But the weekend was always reserved for Junior."

Everyone just kind of stared at George silently, save for the sniffles that came from Federico.

"Uh, maybe somebody with a funny story should go now," George remarked.

"Wait, George, uh..." Heather mumbled. "I think... we all kind of owe you an apology. Especially me. We'd always thought you were just slacking off the past few years... heck, I thought you went down a really bad path and that was why you weren't able to talk on the phone. But no, you've been working your... butt off, and you've been through... trouble. And I'm really sorry. We all are."

"No, don't be!" George assured with a smile. "I mean, it's true - I love it when I get to just take it easy. And the past ten years haven't been too bad - I always had a friend or two around, and with that, I always found a little bit of hope to cling to. Yeah, things got bad sometimes, but never enough to make me give up. And Ruth and Junior, they made... they _make_ me so happy. When I go home at night and put him to bed... I'm always glad that this was how my life turned out."

Everyone had fallen silent again.

"Hey, uh... how about... you! You go next," George decided, randomly pointing at Pat.

"Me?"

"Yeah, come on up and tell us what you've been up to!"

George took his seat again, allowing Pat to stand up and tell a tale of the past ten years. Ronaldo and Sophia went next, though most of what they talked about was their children, rather than themselves. Ronaldo was still teaching Spanish, and Sophia was still a nurse, but they went on and on about Maria and Lucas - Halloween costumes, pictures in wallets, and all kinds of 'first's. Federico and Yoko apologized - aside from Federico picking up a hobby in painting, they had mostly been planning for how to spend their retirement - they were both working office jobs to save up a little extra money, as the last of Federico's wealth from running Fazbear Entertainment had dwindled over the years, due to some of it being invested in The Mellow Morpho and paying off their mortgage.

Fritz went next - he had taken up a position in research regarding electronic engineering. He was part of a team currently developing a new form of portable media device - one that would play music by decoding computer data, rather than using a CD or tape.

"On the note of engineering... I think it's only natural that you should go next, Heather," Fritz remarked, taking his seat.

"Okay!" she agreed, beaming proudly as she stood up. "Well... I started out working as a mechanic at the pizzeria, but I soon transferred to work at a theme park called 'Dino Lagoon'. I was content as a mechanic, but I worked my way up after a few years to become a supervisor... and then about a year and a half ago, I became head engineer. So not only am I fixing things, I'm designing them too! For my current project, a paleontology intern named Maddie is helping me construct models of... uh... consongnathix...?"

" _Compsognathus_?" Jeremy asked.

" _Gezundheit_ , but yeah, I think that's the one - the little dinosaurs that are like the size of chickens? We're gonna stick a tiny metal pole in them on one side, attach it to a metal track, and have them speed through an indoor exhibit." **(3)**

"That sounds really cool!" Phil complimented.

"Yeah! Our animatronics are all the rage, now that..." Heather's voice trailed off, looking at Phil and Federico.

"If... you want to get some things off your mind, go ahead. I will just excuse myself for a little while..." Federico stated, quietly getting up and heading to the restrooms.

"I know the place finally closed a few years ago, but... did something happen?" Heather asked, looking over at Jeremy.

"It's true, the last Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location closed back at the end of 1993. But my uncle, a-as the head of the company, refused to go down without a fight. He tried to pull together a budget to hire a new team of engineers to design new characters and animatronics, to market the new characters, uh... to start opening restaurants..." Phil chewed on his lip. "But the stress started to get to his heart, and... well... he had a heart attack in '94... and he didn't make it."

Phil let out a sigh.

"My dad's still upset about it... I-I mean, he knows that Franco wasn't the nicest person... but my dad has always loved his entire family, and losing his younger brother would definitely hurt a-a lot."

Jeremy nodded silently in agreement.

Yoko cast a look at everyone around the table, before speaking up.

"Are we... done talking about Franco?" she verified.

There were mumbled 'yes'es from around the table.

"Okay. I'll go fetch Federico... I think it's time for Phil and Jeremy to talk, and I know he'll want to be there for that. And after that, we'll all go out to dinner for 'wings and things', I think?"

There were louder mumbles of 'yes' from around the table. Yoko smiled briefly and got up, heading for the men's restroom.

Federico and Yoko returned to the table, with Jeremy and Phil finally sharing their stories - Phil joked that it was a little self-explanatory that he was going to be running the little cafe and gardening store, but he was hoping in a few years to expand to a second location. Jeremy also spoke about his doctorate, and how he - like Ronaldo - was planning to pursue teaching.

"Speaking of which, my body seems to be producing a lot of ghrelin... and you all are probably producing it at different levels right now, too. So what does that mean?"

"Oh, is that, uh, one of those hormones? Like the one that makes us happy, because we're all socializing as a big group for the first time in almost ten years?" Pat guessed.

"That's... actually a better answer than mine," Jeremy laughed. "Ghrelin is a hormone, but it's responsible for something different - that happiness hormone you're thinking of is dopamine. Serotonin and oxytocin too," Jeremy replied. "Ghrelin is a peptide hormone, and its primary function is making you feel hungry. So, how does everyone feel about going out to Wings N Things?"

"Even after ten years, you're still a nerd," Heather shook her head with a chuckle. "Come on, I'm dying to see if Robert's still there, making those ginger beer mojitos..."

The majority ruled, and with that, everyone in The Mellow Morpho departed for Wings N Things.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

If that reunion wasn't enough for Phil, there was one more familiar face at Wings N Things - Martin Burgess, who had been working as the bartender for the past year. Phil kept things to a subtle 'hello, hello', and Martin appeared delighted to see him, but aside from that, they kept their reunion lowkey.

His mojitos were more on the minty side than Robert's, but they were still enjoyable nonetheless. At the end of the evening, everyone made sure to exchange numbers, with the hopes that they wouldn't have to wait another ten years to meet again.

"It was nice to see everyone again, wasn't it?" Jeremy asked, breaking the silence as he drove back to the apartment.

"Yeah," Phil agreed, looking over at him with a small smile.

They both fell quiet again.

"Maybe, if we do this again, Rachel and Mike will be able to make it," Jeremy suggested.

"Maybe."

Jeremy sighed, remaining quiet until they arrived at the apartment a few minutes later. He put their leftovers in the fridge, while Phil refilled Claudia's water bowl. After being out all day, it felt nice to finally sit on the couch.

"Summers are always nice and slow," Phil remarked with a little smile, picking up the TV remote. "You don't have classes, and The Mellow Morpho can close over the weekend..."

"Hey, back in the car... were you okay?" Jeremy inquired.

Phil looked down at the remote.

"I just... I was happy to see everyone, but at the same time, I was just... I had this gross envy inside me the whole time," Phil confessed, clutching his hand to his chest.

"Mmhmm?" Jeremy asked, scooting a little closer to Phil.

He hesitantly reached out his hand, to rest it on Phil's shoulder, but Phil gently held his wrist and instead guided it to wrap around his shoulders.

"We've talked about it for years, hoped and dreamed about it... but all our friends are getting married and having kids, and we're just... waiting," Phil trembled slightly, and he felt Jeremy's arm pull him a little closer.

"I know, it upsets me too," Jeremy muttered.

"A-And with that... th-that _stupid_ law last year!" Phil exclaimed. "I just... worry... that maybe it's never going to happen."

"A big part of history has always been about passing laws to help people - the Thirteenth Amendment, the Nineteenth Amendment... maybe now it can be about repealing them, too."

"It can be, but what if it doesn't happen during our lifetime?" Phil repeated.

"I won't lie, I know going without those legal benefits would be rough, and I know getting married and having kids can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But if you'll have me, I'll stay with you 'til the end of time."

"Of course I'll have you," Phil leaned back against him. "I just... I dunno, I've worried that our relationship won't mean as much if we're not... I-I mean, it obviously means a lot, but - "

"It's okay, I understand. I know that marriage is often seen as the biggest way to express your love for someone. And having kids tends to go hand-in-hand with that," Jeremy remarked. "But they don't necessarily mean a relationship has more love than another! Mike and Rachel are married, but they've said they don't plan on having kids. Fritz and Heather aren't even in a romantic relationship, but they care about each other so much that they've managed to stick together for most of the past ten years."

"Yeah... yeah, that's... that's a good way of putting it," Phil agreed. "Let's focus on our immediate futures for now. Your doctorate, and improving business at The Mellow Morpho. You know, uh, depending on how well things go, we might be able to start looking at getting a house! 'House' that sound to you, Jeremy?"

Jeremy merely chuckled, kissing the top of Phil's head.

**0-0-0**

_January 14, 2001_

Weaving through the living room to the kitchen and dining area, Phil paced another lap inside the house, knowing that Jeremy would be arriving home soon... with the baby.

Some strides had been made in the past few years, and while they couldn't perform a joint adoption, it was possible for a single parent to adopt. They debated over who should be the one to legally adopt, and they had come to the decision that it would be best if Jeremy was the one to sign the papers. There may have been a clause barring discrimination against parents, but 'sexual orientation' was not listed as a trait protected by the law. And Phil had pointed out that "Phillip Fazari, owner of a cafe themed around butterflies and selling flowers" might be more likely to raise an eyebrow than "Dr. Jeremy Fitzgerald, Ph.D., who had just gotten a job as a lecturer at the local community college". **(4)**

Although he would just as soon be leaving it... Phil and Jeremy had thought long and hard about who should be the one to take time off work to take care of their daughter for the next few months, and they had reached the decision that Jeremy would be staying home until the fall semester, when he could resume teaching and their daughter would be at a more suitable age for child care services.

Federico, Yoko, Rachel, and Mike, sitting in the living room, exchanged a look as Phil walked past for the thirteenth time.

"These decorations are bringing back so many memories," Yoko commented, looking around the room. "Although things were looking a little more 'blue' back then."

"And a little less gray," Federico added with a chuckle, gently running a hand through his now silver hair.

Pink balloons with weights were arranged in small bunches in various locations around the house, as well as pink streamers that hung from the ceiling. Most noticeable were the pastel pink paper letters plastered to the wall that faced the front door, reading "WELCOME HOME KATE".

"Oh, Phil, that's a cute painting," Rachel said, looking up at a large painting hanging on a wall, trying to get him to stop pacing. "Is that cat supposed to be Claudia? Did you buy that?"

"Nope," Phil answered briskly, pacing past for a fourteenth time.

"It was supposed to be a fox," Federico sighed.

"Hey, Phil, how about we open one of the gifts?" Mike suggested, gently shaking the pink giftbag he had with him.

"Oh no, no no no, no! Mike!" Phil insisted, immediately turning around and heading straight toward him.

"Mike, we're supposed to wait for Jeremy!" Rachel reminded him.

"I got him to stop pacing, though!" Mike pointed out with a grin. "I was just messing around, I know you're riled up, I shouldn't have pushed your buttons like that. I'm sorry. I just thought we could open one since there's 'no time like the PRESENT'."

Mike snickered, though he fell quiet - as did everyone else - at the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway.

"Ohhh my god, this is happening, this is really happening," Phil whispered, running to the front door, freezing, running back into the living room, looking around frantically, and finally running back into the master bedroom.

He had just placed a hand on his prosthetic arm when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped with a small shriek.

"D-Dad!" Phil exclaimed, turning around to face him.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you," Federico apologized, panting slightly, his hand pressed to his chest.

"A-Are you okay?" Phil asked, his brow furrowing.

"I could ask you the same thing," Federico replied with a slight chuckle, his breathing slowing back to normal. "I'm okay... just old. I haven't... tried to run like that in a while..."

"I was just, uh, going to try to put my limb on really quick," Phil explained, fumbling with it to try to get the socket to line up with his stump... but it wasn't quite fitting. " _Oh no..._ "

"What is it?" Federico asked.

"I-I didn't wear my shrinker to bed last night... because it got mixed in with the laundry..." Phil sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Phillip..."

"Wh-what if she's scared of me? What if I-I can't hold her correctly? What if she doesn't lov-"

"Phillip, I need you to listen to me," Federico stated, his tone turning serious.

He placed his hands on Phil's shoulders and winced as he half-squatted, half-bent over, to look his son in the eyes.

"Kate is only a few months old. There's a lot about the world she doesn't know yet... but she has plenty of time to learn about that as she gets older. All she knows right now is that you're her Papa, Jeremy is her Dad, and that she loves you both very much."

Federico's expression softened into a smile.

"And you know what? Even with two hands, I still worried about possibly dropping you at the hospital. So I sat down and let the nurse place you in my arms. It probably helped, since my emotions were all over the place and my knees were shaking... I wonder if that's why my right knee wound up becoming so stiff once I got older?"

He chuckled slightly, though he and Phil looked straight back at each other as they heard the front door open.

"Let's go," Phil said, standing up, as he helped Federico straighten his posture.

They stepped out into the living room as Jeremy was walking in, carefully holding the plastic handle of the baby carrier.

"Hey," Jeremy greeted softly.

"Hey," Phil replied with a smile.

"I thought you should be the first one to hold her, if that's okay with you?" Jeremy remarked, placing the carrier down on the empty half of the coffee table.

"O-okay!" Phil agreed, exchanging a look with his father. "Just... let me sit down first."

He scurried over and took a seat next to his mother on the sofa, Federico sitting on the other side of him, as Jeremy carefully removed Kate from the carrier. With one hand supporting the back of her head, and the other supporting her rear, Jeremy gently lowered her into Phil's arm, his shoulder supporting her head and his hand holding her legs, cradled neatly against him.

"There we go... just right...!" Jeremy declared softly but proudly. "... Go on, say hi!"

Phil was still starstruck, staring down at the baby girl in his arm - no, not just any baby girl, _his daughter._ He smiled, blinking quickly, as he swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"... H-hello, hello, Kate. I-I've waited so long to meet you... y-y'know, because of l-legal reasons... uh... no, y-you probably don't understand that..." Phil laughed slightly. "I-I'm your Papa, Kate."

He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, causing her to look up at him.

"O-oh! Uh, that didn't bother you, right? I'm just... I-I'm nervous and excited about everything at the same time. It's going to be a little harder for me to help take care of you... uh, around the house I mean... b-but I'm going to work hard at MM to support you and Jeremy for the next few months... uh..." Phil chuckled nervously. "S-sorry, I know I'm rambling about nothing..."

But when he chuckled again, Kate smiled up at him and he could have sworn he felt his heart melt.

"I think she likes hearing you talk," Yoko commented.

"R-really?" Phil asked, looking down at Kate, speaking in a slightly higher pitch. "Hey, Kate, guess what? The lemonade at The Mellow Morpho i-is made from real lemons and not from concentrate!"

She smiled up at him even brighter, which made Phil laugh, a few tears rolling down his cheeks.

"S-someone needs to take her away from me, otherwise nobody else is going to get a turn to hold her," Phil joked.

"We need a picture of this moment first," Rachel insisted, removing a camera from her purse as she stood up.

Phil smiled brightly up at her, his eyes shining as he cradled Kate in his arm, as Rachel snapped the perfect photo.

"What do you think, Kate? You want to see your Aunt Rachel?" Phil asked, as Rachel leaned down to lift her up. "Yeah, go see your Aunt Rachel!"

Eventually, everyone had had a chance to hold Kate, with more pictures being taken and gifts presented - Mike and Rachel had gotten her a pink plush rabbit, whereas Federico and Yoko had purchased some clothes as well as a photo album for Phil and Jeremy.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways, leaving Phil and Jeremy at home for their first night with Kate. Phil turned up the volume on the baby monitor, placing it on the nightstand near his side of the bed.

"We put her on her back, remember? Right after we had both taken a turn to give her a good night kiss," Jeremy chuckled, setting his glasses aside on his nightstand. "You can't stay up all night to check on her breathing, dear. If she needs us, she'll let us know."

"I know, I know," Phil teased, turning off the lamp, before turning back to Jeremy to cuddle close to him, placing gentle kisses against his cheeks and lips, but stopped when he felt Jeremy tremble. "... Jer?"

"... 'm sorry," Jeremy replied, his voice soft and shaky. "But I th-think this has been the best day of m-my life."

"Mine too," Phil agreed.

They pulled each other closer, exchanging a few more gentle kisses and loving words, before drifting off to sleep.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 4, 2003_

"Frozen pizza and i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m for tomorrow. I think Emily and Kate will be okay with that," Phil nodded approvingly, closing the freezer.

He made his way to Kate's room, standing in the doorway, smiling as Jeremy finished getting Kate dressed for bed, while Claudia seemed content to lay down on the corner of Kate's bed. Hopefully she would be this calm for the babysitter tomorrow night, as he and Jeremy had made plans to go out to dinner with Federico and Yoko.

Phil's parents had originally planned to come visit for Thanksgiving... but they had had to cancel at the last minute, as Federico's "bad cold" seemed to have turned into the full-fledged flu. Yoko had gone out with a friend to get their shots, Jeremy and Kate both had their shots provided for free from the university's clinic on campus, and Phil had gotten his at a rather low price from a local pharmacy... but Federico had delayed and suffered the consequences.

Three people trying to eat a meal meant for five wound up producing plenty of leftovers, and just under a week later, at long last, the fettucine alfredo and green bean casserole were finally gone - they had started incorporating more traditional Thanksgiving foods into their meal, along with some of the classic Fazari Italian and Japanese recipes. So going out to dinner would be a nice change - especially now that a week had passed and Federico was probably almost, if not completely, healthy at this point.

Well, he certainly hoped so, at least. Maneuvering over the guard on one side of the bed, Phil took a seat next to Kate as Jeremy selected a storybook for the night - the one with the flying carriage and winged horses on the cover, as it was Kate's favorite - and sat down on the other side of their daughter to read.

" _My name is Prince Eli, won't you join me for a ride?_

_An adventure's far more fun with a friend by your side!_

_The pegasi are ready, and the carriage is too -_

_I even saved the comfiest seat just for you!"_ **(5)**

As Jeremy turned to the next page, the phone started ringing in the kitchen.

"It's Eli!" Kate gasped, earning a laugh from Jeremy and Phil.

"Maybe it is, Katie! Let me check, okay?" Phil said, winking at Jeremy, before hurrying into the kitchen.

"Hello, hello?" Phil asked, picking up the phone with a grin on his face.

" _Hello, hel..._ " the raspy voice on the other side of the phone coughed heavily, and Phil's breath caught in his throat.

"Dad?"

" _Phillip... I-I'm sorry... we're not going to be able... able to go to dinner tomorrow..."_ Federico apologized, wheezing with each breath he took between coughs.

Phil could faintly hear his mother say something in the background.

" _It's okay, dear... I won't be long..."_ Federico reassured, coughing again.

"We'll try again another time... i-it's okay, Dad," Phil tried to comfort him. "... Maybe... uh, m-maybe you should go see a doctor soon..."

" _I made... an appointment on Monday..._ " Federico managed to say.

"O-oh! Okay, that's... that's pretty good," Phil continued trying to speak positively, though he could practically feel the pain in his own chest as he listened to his father's hoarse breathing on the other line. "Until then, um, get plenty of sleep a-and fluids, okay? Good night, Dad... and tell Mom 'good night' too, o-okay? We love you guys."

" _We lov-_ "

Phil winced as his father fell into a coughing fit halfway through a single word. Federico wheezed and hacked and coughed, though not directly into the phone, as though trying to keep Phil from worrying. But he wasn't able to prevent Phil from hearing two words he choked out.

" _\- can't breathe -_ "

"Dad?"

His wheezing seemed to turn more into desperate gasps of air, and Phil could hear his mother faintly ask something on the other side of the room... followed by a terrible crashing and pounding sound, as though something heavy had fallen, and the loud and frantic cries of his mother.

"Dad?!" Phil cried out, paying no mind to Jeremy and Kate, who had hurried out to see what he was yelling about. "DAD!"

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 5, 2003_

It took a lot of restraint for Phil not to come running into the hospital lobby. The same was true for his mother. Normally reserved, she threw her arms around Phil and cried into his shoulder. Jeremy and Kate walked up shortly after.

"I-it's okay, Mom, let it out," Phil reassured, gently patting her back.

She was so upset, he almost didn't have the guts to ask. But, more aware of the other people in the area watching - especially her granddaughter - Yoko regained her composure, beckoning Phil, Jeremy, and Kate to check in at the front desk. After obtaining approval, she led them to one of the wings in the hospital.

"... Pneumonia," she finally stated, keeping her eyes on the ground as they walked down the hallway. "... I can't remember when Federico started showing signs of "a bad cold", but the doctor thinks it may have been possible that instead of going from cold to flu to pneumonia... he went from flu to pneumonia to _worse_ pneumonia."

"Are they going to be able to treat it?" Phil asked, concerned.

"They're running tests first. They're pretty much convinced he has it, but they said that it can be caused by a variety of sources... and once they know the source, they can try treating it."

"I see," Phil said.

He turned to look at Jeremy, as though some of his biological brilliance would come shining through and he would say something about what was likely causing it and that there was some definitive treatment for it. But Jeremy looked back at him, equally worried.

It seemed all they could do now was hope and wait.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 13, 2003_

No matter how hard Phil tried to remember, he couldn't think of a time he had disagreed with his father. Oh, sure, there had been little things when he was a kid - maybe not wanting to do his homework or go to bed, or even that time he wanted to go back to playing football after his broken wrist had healed. But it had never been something like... _this._

Cold or flu, it stood to reason that the pneumonia Federico was dealing with had been viral. So the doctors placed him on some antiviral medications to help alleviate his symptoms. And for the first two days, he seemed to be doing better. After that, there wasn't much change. And then a few days later, he seemed to be getting worse. The doctors ran another test, only to find that he had also been dealing with the bacterial form of the illness as well. They could put him on antibiotics, but at this point, the outlook was looking grim - best case scenario, he would need breathing assistance the rest of his life.

And so, Federico requested not to be put on antibiotics, and instead to be moved to a nearby hospice center, where he could be allowed to pass as painlessly as possible - which was expected to be some time in the upcoming week.

Jeremy, Phil, and Kate had immediately returned, renting a room at a local hotel with Fiorella, and they were coming in for a visit today.

Federico's room looked more like an actual bedroom than an actual hospital room, save for the bed itself and some medical equipment - he was hooked up to a morphine drip to ease any pain he was in, as well as some oxygen. A couch in the room had been pulled out and converted into a bed, which was where Yoko had been staying the night. But for right now, she was seated in an armchair by Federico's side, the hospital bed adjusted so that way he could sit up.

"Hello, hello," Phil greeted, as they stepped into the room.

"Hello, hello," Yoko replied; Federico raised a hand and waved.

"You want to see _Nonno_?" Jeremy asked Kate. "Go show him the drawing you made. But don't touch anything!"

He let go of her hand and she ran up to the bedside, holding up a piece of paper to Federico.

"Oh? What's this?" he was barely audible through the breathing mask, but he lifted the picture up to his eye level.

A brown wobbly outline with two smaller wobbly shapes and a curved line inside was connected to a blue line, scribbled over once or twice to make it stand out.

"It looks just like me!" he had to pause to cough, but Federico continued praising her. "You're very good, Kate... do you want to be an artist some day?"

"Yeah!"

"Good! I tell you what... when you're a little older... you can have my paint set," Federico promised.

"You show me how?" Kate asked.

Everyone in the room flinched.

"You can find an even better teacher than _Nonno_... besides, I taught myself how to paint! ... That was why I had so much fun! ... One of your fathers might have to help you... but you can teach yourself!" he smiled warmly. "And I know I'll love every piece of art you make."

"Here, Kate," Phil said, removing a backpack from his shoulders. "We brought your crayons and some paper, r-remember? Wh-Why don't you draw something for _Baba_ o-or your Great Aunt Flora?"

She ran up to Phil, but looked up at him, confused.

"Papa cry?"

"Wh-what? N-no, don't worry!" Phil tried to reassure, quickly wiping at his eyes. "I-I'm f-fine... r-really!"

He felt Jeremy wrap an arm around his shoulders as he spoke.

"Papa just... isn't ready to go home yet," Jeremy fibbed quickly.

"Go home?! NO!"

"Katelyn, keep your voice down," Jeremy scolded. "What I meant was... uh..."

Jeremy was starting to fall apart as he realized he had a daughter on the brink of a tantrum and his partner was trying so hard not to have a complete breakdown. He looked back at Fiorella for assistance, but Yoko was the one to speak up.

"Would you all mind coming a little closer? Federico has something he wants to say," she stated.

"We're not going home yet, it's okay, _Nonno_ wants to talk to us," Jeremy stated, gently holding Kate's hand and walking with her, Phil, and Fiorella to Federico's bedside.

"Kate... _Nonno_ is very sick. That's why... I have to wear a mask and have this bag..." Federico explained, gesturing to the morphine and his mask. "Because I'm very sick... I am going to die soon... My body will stop working... I won't eat, I won't talk or move... I won't sleep, and I won't feel any pain... That's why your Papa is sad... _Baba_ and your Dad and Flora are sad too... grown-ups sometimes need to cry too."

Kate looked up at Phil, who was still wiping his eyes.

"Kate... tell me about your friend, Lucas..." Federico requested.

"Lucas came over with his family, and we played! We played on the swings!" Kate beamed up at him.

"Were you sad... when you said goodbye?"

"Yeah."

"But you're not sad now... because you have such happy memories... when your Papa and Dad aren't sad or busy... will you help them remember... happy memories with _Nonno_?"

"Okay!"

"That's good... now... why don't you... draw a nice picture for _Baba_?"

"Okay!"

Kate practically snatched the crayons and paper out of Phil's hand, running over to the table near the sofa.

"You're so much better at this..." Phil sighed.

"Phillip... I've been a father for... over thirty-seven years now... it comes with experience..." though it was hard to see through the mask, Federico's smile widened into a grin. "Remember what I told you... on your first day as a father... about _my_ first d-"

Federico fell into a particularly nasty coughing fit, taking more than 'just a few seconds' to catch his breath.

"Dad... how about you, uh... how do I put this... take a break from talking?" Phil asked awkwardly. "Here, uh..."

He slipped the backpack off again, before removing a photo album.

"Here! We, uh, managed to fill up a nice portion of the album you got us! And I'm sure Aunt Flora has some stories to share..."

"You go ahead," Fiorella encouraged. "I'm interested to hear how Kate's been the past few years!"

Yoko moved the overbed table to rest above Federico's lap, giving Phil a good spot to place the photo album. A smile returned to his face as he opened to the first page.

"Well, let's see..."

**0-0-0-0-0**

The hours passed quickly, and once everyone had dinner, it was time to start heading back to the hotel room. Kate was already half-asleep in Fiorella's arms. As Phil slipped the backpack back onto his shoulders, he felt his mom gently tuck something into the bag.

"Almost forgot a crayon... you never know, sometimes the smallest things can set a child off."

He walked up to the bedside, about to say goodnight, when his father spoke up.

"Almost forty years later... I still can't believe it," Federico marveled.

"Believe... what?" Phil asked.

"That fate would bring me halfway around the world... to meet your mother. If that's not proof I married the most amazing woman in the world... I don't know what is."

Yoko, trying to remain modest, hid a small smile behind her hand.

"And it got even better... when I had the most wonderful son I could ask for," his eyes wandered over to Jeremy, and he beckoned him to step closer to the bed. "The same is true for you, Jeremy... you're such a good man... you've been like... a son to me all these years, too."

"Th-thank you, sir," Jeremy replied, bowing his head humbly.

"Keep taking good care of each other... the love between... you two is strong..." Federico's eyes seemed to shine, struggling not to cough with each word he spoke. "Maybe... it's not my... my place to say anything... but... if you get the chance... I-I hope you two... can be married... you have my... blessing..."

Jeremy removed his glasses, wiping at his eyes as he fought back a sob. Despite struggling to hold back his own tears, Phil leaned a little closer to Jeremy, wrapping an arm around his back.

"And not just... each other. You have... a beautiful daughter... now... Take good care of Kate... be the best Dad... the best Papa... you can be..."

Federico coughed heavily, but his breathing finally calmed down.

"All this coughing... is the worst... it really wears me out... I might go to bed early..."

"It's okay, Dad. You can rest as much as you want," Phil reassured.

" _Ti voglio bene..._ " Federico mumbled with a weary smile, blinking slowly, as though his eyelids were growing heavy.

" _Ti voglio bene anche io,_ " Phil whispered, his voice cracking.

Silent tears slipping down his cheeks, Phil leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his father's forehead.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 20, 2003_

Phil looked down at the framed picture in his hand - the color had almost completely faded away, but he still recognized his father, sitting in the hospital room chair and holding his son in his arms.

He felt Jeremy sit down next to him on the sofa, gently running a hand up and down his back; it seemed that he had already changed out of his black formal attire for the funeral.

"Kate's taking her nap," Jeremy remarked softly. "Would you like to talk?"

Phil sighed, letting the picture rest in his lap, burying half of his face in his hand.

"H-How do I keep going without him?" Phil asked, his voice shaking. "How am I-I going to be strong...?"

Jeremy gently took Phil's hand in both of his, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

"Phil, your strength isn't gone. It's still there, it's just a little harder to find because you're in a difficult place right now," Jeremy reassured, before pulling Phil into his arms. "Take time to heal, and I know you'll find the strength again. Until then, I'll lend you my strength, okay?"

Phil rested his head against Jeremy's shoulder with a soft sigh, though he wrapped his arm around Jeremy in return.

"I-I love you so much... you know that, right?" Phil asked, gently rubbing Jeremy's back.

"I always have," Jeremy confirmed, gently kissing the back of Phil's head. "And I love you a lot, too."

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 24, 2003_

" _When out on the lawn there arose such -_ "

Phil looked up from the book he had been reading to Kate, startled, at the sound of wood and glass crashing in the living room.

"... I guess I better go see 'what was the matter'," Jeremy excused himself, stepping out of the room.

Insatiably curious, Kate crawled out from under the covers, hurrying out into the living room. With a small sigh, Phil set the book down and followed after her.

"Oh no!" Kate exclaimed.

Jeremy was holding Claudia under one arm, using his other hand to wipe up the mess of spilled milk that now drenched a plate of cookies that rested on the table... as well as on the table itself, dripping onto the carpet. The closest bookshelf had had all of the picture frames sitting on it knocked to the floor.

"Claudia, I thought you were too old to go jumping on the shelves!" Phil scolded, hurrying to grab more paper towels to help Jeremy clean up.

"You'd be surprised what people - or cats - would do for some milk and cookies," Jeremy remarked wryly, half-heartedly lifting a soggy gingerbread man from the plate, watching the lower half of its body fall off. "Aww man, I had my eye on... giving this one to Santa."

He quickly corrected himself, finishing soaking up the last of the milk, and leaving to throw out the sopping wet paper towel and to put Claudia in the utility room.

"I-I guess she got scared when she knocked over the glass, and tried to jump to the shelf?" Phil asked, now stooping down by the shelf to pick up the fallen pictures.

"Proba..." Jeremy's voice trailed off as he realized Kate was crying. "Katie, what's wrong?"

"Chr-Christmas is ruined...!" Kate bawled.

Jeremy exchanged a quick look with Phil.

"You got this," Phil assured him. "I-I'll get the pictures."

Jeremy hurried over to Kate, getting down on one knee to scoop her up in a hug.

"It's okay, pumpkin! Look, we cleaned up the mess, Santa will never know! We'll go get a new plate, put some different cookies out, and put out another glass of milk, okay?"

Though she held Jeremy's hand and followed him into the kitchen, Kate continued crying. But Jeremy would manage to calm her down eventually... despite all his years of working around kids, he always seemed to do a better job at soothing Kate quickly.

... Like a _good_ father would.

Phil tried to shake the thought out of his mind. After cleaning up a mess and dealing with a fussy child, Phil didn't want to drag the mood of Christmas Eve down any further.

Phil sighed, setting the picture of his own father holding him next to... no, wait, that picture was already sitting on the shelf. Phil looked back at the picture in his hand and realized it was him, holding Kate. He wordlessly placed it on the shelf, right next to the picture of Federico and himself.

A father, smiling brightly with eyes shining as he cradled his new child... at almost the exact same _angle_ , no less... side-by-side, the pictures were almost a perfect match.

_"Be the best Papa you can be."_

His father's words echoed in his mind. And a memory flashed in his mind - when he was starting out as a party coordinator, and how he had improvised a way to explain his birth defect without making things awkward in front of the kids, and how proud he had been to tell his father about his success with the children at that party...

Jeremy brought out a new plate of cookies and a glass of milk, Kate following him, still coughing and sniffling, her face red and tear-stained.

"Good, you guys finished up early... there's still time then," Phil commented approvingly.

"Time...?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"Don't you know? I, uh, checked out the window... Santa was across the street at this time last year... but there's no sign of him. I-I think he's running late," Phil remarked mischievously. "So... i-if Santa's running late, _we_ can stay up a little bit later!"

Kate's eyes widened a little, at the concept of staying up _later_.

"... And... how do you know this...?" Jeremy asked, trying to follow along.

"I met a pirate who told me so!" Phil explained, noticing how Kate gasped. "Y-yeah, didn't I tell you? Your Papa was, uh, really good friends with a pirate when he was a little boy!"

"So... what should we do... since we're staying up later? Did the pirate... uh... teach you a special game?" Jeremy tried to do a better job at playing along this time.

"Well, no, but he did teach me, uh... about keeping track of time based on the position of the moon a-and stars. And it looks like... we would have enough time to go out for a drive and look at some Christmas lights!" Phil declared, pumping a fist into the air. "Wanna go see the lights, Kate?"

"Uh-huh!" Kate shouted, also pumping a fist into the air.

"Great! Uh, let's go get our jackets, a-and we'll be off!"

**0-0-0-0-0**

The car was dark and quiet, save for the illumination that came from the Christmas lights decorating houses. Most of the houses were fairly modest - some multi-colored lights lining the edge of the roof, or perhaps a Nativity scene. And then there were THOSE houses that gave off enough light that you could practically sit on the front lawn and read a book at two in the morning.

Phil drove out of the neighborhood, heading down one of the major streets in the city.

"Hmm... doesn't look like there's many decorations out here," Phil remarked.

As they drove past a large wooded area, he felt Jeremy gently rest a hand on his shoulder, and Phil smiled.

"I was curious if they were, uh, going to decorate any of the trees at Lakeview Park... looks like they didn't. I suppose that's for the best, that way all the animals can sleep at night," Phil commented further.

"Yeah," Kate replied quietly.

"I kind of wish the park wasn't closed at night... i-it would probably be really pretty, to see the moon and stars reflected on the lake," Phil commented, as he turned right at the light.

He drove a little further, and turned right again.

"But that's okay, the park is really pretty during the day, too," Phil said, as they pulled up to the light, already signalling to turn right.

"We sometimes came here just to... drive in loops... around the lake, everything was so pretty," Jeremy added, gently patting Phil on the back, now that he figured out what his plan was.

"Y-y'know, uh, your Dad and I ate dinner out here on one of our first dates," Phil said, smiling wistfully. "We ate sandwiches, admired the sunset, and listened to Louis Armstrong..."

He started softly humming _La Vie en Rose_ , Jeremy joining in shortly after recognizing the melody, as they drove a few laps around the park. As they held the final note of the song, Jeremy took a peek in the backseat - sure enough, Kate had drifted off to sleep in the car.

"Nicely done," Jeremy complimented softly, as Phil broke the loop to drive back to their house.

They returned home quietly without any incident, Jeremy gently lifting Kate out of her carseat and carrying her back inside, tucking her into bed.

Santa really enjoyed the milk and cookies, and now that Jeremy could put away the dishes, Phil let Claudia out of the utility room. Santa had been careful to conveniently hide some presents in the closet in the master bedroom, so Jeremy and Phil spent a little bit of time arranging them under the tree.

"It's still kind of early," Jeremy remarked quietly, noticing that the time was now 9:30 p.m. "Do you want to see if there's a movie on?"

"A-actually, um," Phil chuckled slightly, plucking a bow from one of the presents and sticking it to his shirt. "Wanna unwrap one of your Christmas presents a little early?"

They both tried to control their laughter, so as not to wake Kate. After calming down, Jeremy walked up to Phil, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him gently.

"A 'Christmas present'? But Phil... with you, every day is a gift," Jeremy complimented, pulling out of the kiss for a moment.

Phil gave him a bashful little smile, taking Jeremy by the hand, and leading him into the bedroom, closing and locking the doors behind them.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_December 25, 2003_

Jeremy had fallen asleep about an hour ago, but Phil still couldn't fall asleep. He just lay there awake... thinking.

The love of his life was sleeping next to him, and they both had found successful careers in something they loved. They had a healthy and beautiful daughter, and a delightful cat. Their friends were all doing great things with their lives too, some of them with families of their own now.

Family... Mike and Rachel, his mother, his aunt... it still hurt to think about what had happened to his father a little over a week ago... but it was starting to hurt a little less.

Maybe it was partially due to the holiday, but it was nice to be reminded that he was surrounded by so much love. Phil closed his eyes with a smile, snuggling closer to Jeremy.

It was truly a wonderful life.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

_August 17, 2019_

"Alright... we got dinner, brought in the bags, the easel, your chair, computer, mini-fridge, TV, and art supplies..." Jeremy counted off the items on his fingers. "I think you're all set, sweet pea!"

As Kate admired her side of the dorm room, Phil felt his heart swell - she really had grown up so fast, now starting her freshman year at a college specializing in the arts. The drive was only an hour and a half away, so Kate would likely be able to visit a little more frequently than just the seasonal breaks, but the wait to see her again was already starting to tug at Phil's heartstrings.

"I guess we should start heading back, before the traffic gets too bad," Jeremy commented quietly.

"Guess so," Kate agreed, walking up to him.

She exchanged a hug with Jeremy, kissing him on the cheek.

"T-Take care, okay, Kate? We love you."

"Bye, Dad. Love you too," she whispered, trying her hardest to hold back tears, especially since Jeremy's face had started turning a faint shade of red.

"We'll see you in a few weeks," Jeremy promised, though by the sound of his voice, he was trying to swallow back his emotions.

"Goodbye, Papa. I love you," Kate said, turning to Phil now.

Kate reached over and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek as well, and as he put his arm around her, he finally shook with tears as he recalled his own father, overcome with emotion on the day he first moved into a college dorm to the point that he had reverted back to speaking Italian as he hugged him goodbye...

" _Ti voglio bene_ ," Phil choked out, just like his father had.

They finally let go of each other, Phil looking down at her with an apologetic smile.

"S-sorry, Kate, I got a little emotional there," Phil laughed, wiping away his tears. "W-what I meant to say was-"

"It's okay, Papa, I know," she reassured, also wiping away some tears with a smile. "Some things don't need translating."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last! It's finally finished. You can see why this wound up taking a little longer than expected... But I think this story serves as a nice "grand finale" in more ways than one.
> 
> You see, I am going to be taking an indefinite hiatus from writing major fanfiction like this. I may put out a one-shot every so often, but more than likely, this will be my last major writing project for a long time.
> 
> And why is that?
> 
> Because I am going to start devoting my creative energy to my own original projects - which is going to involve a LOT of work in developing my art skills. Because I have not one, but TWO webcomics planned (one of which may or may not have had the protagonist make a brief cameo in this). By the time you're reading this, I will likely have posted an announcement about it on my tumblr - I currently go by the same username, bijoukaiba.
> 
> It's been a long wait, but thank you so much to everyone who has been patient with me. I hope my original creations will bring you as much joy as the CTCM series - or any of my other fanfics - have.
> 
> (1) Fun fact - udon served with fried tofu is actually considered a comfort food known as kitsune udon in Japan. If you don't know what a kitsune is, look it up, and you'll see why it was the perfect fit for Phone Guy.
> 
> (2) Is it too self-indulgent to include author trivia? Oh well, here you go. So far, the best day of my life was on February 13, 2009. I wound up having a great day at school that day (I'm talking "everyone did bad on the last AP English assignment and had to redo it, except for me, who got a 100"), but the icing on the cake was coming home and learning that I had been accepted to UF for college. It also fell on a Friday the 13th, so this is why Chapter 10 of C'est Toi, C'est Moi - which takes place on Friday, November 13, 1987 - is titled "The Best Day of My Life".
> 
> (3) A common misconception is that compsognathus is the size of a chicken; the juveniles are, but adults are actually closer to the size of turkeys!
> 
> (4) I researched and researched this topic - it was one of the things I was worried about keeping realistic with the times. Because while C'est Toi C'est Moi can hypothetically be set anywhere in the US, I did write it with a specific location in the back of my mind... and laws would have prevented Kate from getting adopted until like 2009-2010. Which would have really thrown off the pacing of the story. Plus, there's also the fact that I did grow up knowing a lesbian couple with children despite the laws... so I took a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" approach to the adoption, while still keeping in mind the limitations of adopting as a single parent. And perhaps, while it is the wimpiest argument, if this universe can have vengeful spirits inhabiting animatronics and companies getting away with terrible security and sanitation standards, surely you will allow me to stretch the law a little?
> 
> (5) A shout-out to phxnegxy... once upon a time, we briefly chatted about Tres Leches and I asked for permission to use a shirt design. One year later, I've had the joy of meeting my dear friend in person. You've always been patient and supportive of me, even at my worst, and I'm still baffled that I wound up befriending someone as wonderful as you. You may as well be named Honorary Co-Author for this ending, because there were bits and pieces of this story that were inspired by the times I've spent with you. Mi hai cambiato la vita e ti voglio bene.


End file.
